Example of ongoing research

Disparities in Access to the Medicaid Transportation Benefit

Medicaid, unlike other insurers, is federally mandated to provide transportation services through its non-emergency medical transportation (NEMT) benefit. Recent data indicate gaps in transportation access among Medicaid enrollees, specifically for Black patients. Additionally, several states have argued that the benefit is unnecessary and sought federal approval to limit its eligibility.

A team of researchers from Weill Cornell Medicine and the Cornell Jeb E. Brooks School of Public Policy led by CHPC faculty members William Schpero and Jamila Michener are conducting a study titled “Racial and Ethnic Disparities in Access to the Medicaid Transportation Benefit and Implications for Patient Outcomes.” The study is evaluating racial and ethnic disparities in use of NEMT across states and how transportation barriers affect access to care and health outcomes. A key objective of the work is to estimate the effect of the benefit on disparities in patient outcomes, leveraging state-level variation in availability of NEMT as a natural experiment.