Trends in Well-Child Visits with Out-of-Pocket Costs in the US Before and After the Affordable Care Act

(with Paul Shafer and Heather Hsu)

This is a brief report examining the impact of the ACA’s popular provision reducing cost-sharing for preventive services on the utilization and cost of pediatric wellness visits. We find that following passage of the ACA, engagement of privately insured children in well-child care increased and the proportion of families incurring out-of-pocket costs for this care declined. However, approximately 1 of 7 wellness visits still results in out-of-pocket costs.

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Recommended citation: Shafer PR, Hoagland A, Hsu HE. Trends in Well-Child Visits With Out-of-Pocket Costs in the US Before and After the Affordable Care Act. JAMA Netw Open. 2021;4(3):e211248. doi:10.1001/jamanetworkopen.2021.1248