217-OR: ADA Presidents’ Select Abstract: The Affordable Care Act Medicaid Expansion Correlated with Reduction in Lower Extremity Amputation among Minorities with Diabetic Foot Ulcerations

Objectives: Lack of insurance and non-white race are associated with increased risks of amputation. It is unclear how expanded insurance coverage affects the care of minorities with diabetes. The aim was to evaluate the effect of Medicaid expansion under the Affordable Care Act (ACA) on outcomes of minorities with diabetic foot ulcerations (DFUs).

Methods: We analyzed the State Inpatient Databases from 19 states to identify people who were either uninsured or on Medicaid with DFUs from 2013 to 2015. Patients were categorized into early-adopter states (implemented the ACA expansion by January 2014) and non-adopter states. Logistic regression was performed to examine the effects of state type (early vs. non-adopter), time (pre- vs. post-ACA), and their interaction on the proportion of amputation.

Results: The study included 25,493 non-white Medicaid beneficiaries and 9,863 uninsured patients with DFUs. Among the minorities aged 20 to 64 years, there was an increase (180.7%) in the number of admissions for Medicaid beneficiaries and a reduction (21.5%) in the admissions of uninsured patients in early-adopter states after expansion. In comparison, there was an increase in the number of admissions of the uninsured patients (78.2%) in non-adopter states during the same period. The odds of major amputation among non-white Medicaid beneficiaries with DFUs decreased 17.3% in early-adopter states and increased 0.9% in non-adopter states (p=0.045), while the odds of minor amputation increased 14% in early-adopter states and decreased 8.1% in non-adopter states (p=0.003).

Conclusion: The ACA Medicaid expansion appears to have substantial positive effects on the care of minorities with DFUs. Racial and ethnic minorities in states that expanded Medicaid experienced a significant reduction in the number of uninsured with DFUs and a reduction in major amputations. The broadening of the ACA may reduce disparities in diabetes-related amputations.