Access to hospital care for California and Michigan Medicaid recipients

This article is a comparison of the characteristics of hospitals serving the general population and Medicaid recipients in California and Michigan, using data from Medicaid uniform claims files and the American Hospital Association Annual Survey for 1984. A greater concentration of discharges in a small number of "high Medicaid volume" urban and rural hospitals in each State was observed for Medicaid recipients compared with the general population. In addition, discharge data suggest that Supplemental Security Income crossovers (individuals covered by both Medicaid and Medicare) and other recipients (mostly children not enrolled in the Aid to Families with Dependent Children program) receive inpatient care in different hospitals from the general population as well as from other Medicaid eligibility groups. Medicaid cost-containment policies and differential access to hospital care are discussed.