Impact of Medicare and Medicaid coverage policies on contraceptive use among people with disabilities

NIH RePORTER · NIH · F31 · $48,974 · view on reporter.nih.gov ↗

Abstract

PROJECT SUMMARY In the United States, women with disabilities are 32% less likely to use any contraceptive method compared to women without disabilities and have higher rates of unintended pregnancy and adverse pregnancy outcomes. In qualitative interviews, women with disabilities have stated that insufficient Medicare coverage of desired contraceptive methods is a barrier to contraceptive use. Medicare is a federal health insurance program that provides coverage to nearly 1.5 million women aged 20 to 49 years who receive Social Security Disability Insurance due to a chronic disability. Unlike private insurance plans and Medicaid, Medicare does not cover most contraceptive methods for pregnancy prevention. Individuals who are dual enrolled in Medicaid and Medicare due to a combination of low-income and disability receive contraceptive coverage through Medicaid. The goal of this proposed research is to evaluate the impact of Medicare’s contraceptive coverage policies on contraceptive use among women with disabilities. Using 2016-2021 inpatient, outpatient, carrier, and pharmaceutical Medicare and Medicaid claims data from all 50 states and D.C., I will examine differences in contraceptive use between women with disabilities enrolled in traditional Medicare, Medicare Advantage, Medicaid, and dual enrolled (Aim 1). I will then evaluate the impact of gaining contraceptive coverage through dual enrollment on contraceptive method use among Medicare enrollees with disabilities (Aim 2). This research will provide some of the first empirical evidence for policymakers on reproductive healthcare access and use among Medicare enrollees with disabilities. I will complete the analyses with support from collaborators with expertise in disability and reproductive health policy and claims data analysis, as well routine input from a community advisory board of women with disabilities. I am supported by an interdisciplinary research environment that includes the Center for Gerontology and Health Care Research and Center for Advancing Health Policy through Research at the Brown University School of Public Health. The training activities detailed in this application are focused on developing advanced methods in causal inference, best practices in conducting person-centered research, experience communicating research for policy impact, and teaching. These activities will prepare me for a career as an independent researcher and professor focused on improving reproductive healthcare access and outcomes among people with disabilities.

Key facts

NIH application ID
10997639
Project number
1F31HD116515-01
Recipient
BROWN UNIVERSITY
Principal Investigator
Meghan Elizabeth Bellerose
Activity code
F31
Funding institute
NIH
Fiscal year
2024
Award amount
$48,974
Award type
1
Project period
2024-09-01 → 2026-08-31