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. 2024 Dec 6;5(12):e244312.
doi: 10.1001/jamahealthforum.2024.4312.

Cost Shifting for Emergency Care of Veterans With Medicare After MISSION Act Implementation

Laura G Burke  1   2 , Yanlei Ma  2 , Jessica Phelan  2 , Ellen Latsko  2 , Austin B Frakt  2   3 , Steven D Pizer  3   4 , Jose F Figueroa  2
Affiliations

Cost Shifting for Emergency Care of Veterans With Medicare After MISSION Act Implementation

Laura G Burke et al. JAMA Health Forum. .

Erratum in

  • Errors in Figure.
    [No authors listed] [No authors listed] JAMA Health Forum. 2025 Feb 7;6(2):e245633. doi: 10.1001/jamahealthforum.2024.5633. JAMA Health Forum. 2025. PMID: 39918831 Free PMC article. No abstract available.
No abstract available

Plain language summary

This cross-sectional study examines changes in payers for emergency department visits in Veterans Affairs and community facilities from 2016 to 2021.

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Conflict of interest statement

Conflict of Interest Disclosures: Dr Burke reported receiving grants from the US Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) Quality Enhancement Research Initiative (QUERI) during the conduct of the study and the National Institute on Aging, the Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality, and consulting fees from Emergency Medicine Policy Institute outside the submitted work. Dr Figueroa reported receiving grants from the Laura and John Arnold Foundation. No other disclosures were reported.

Figures

Figure 1.
Figure 1.. Emergency Department (ED) Visits, by Payer and Site of Care, per 1000 Veterans Dually Enrolled in Medicare and the US Department of Veterans Affairs (VA)
All individuals were enrolled in the VA and either traditional Medicare or Medicare Advantage. Inpatient and outpatient ED visits were identified using VA data as well as traditional Medicare and Medicare Advantage claims.
Figure 2.
Figure 2.. Proportion of Emergency Department (ED) Visits Paid by the US Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) and by Medicare, Overall and Stratified by Traditional Medicare vs Medicare Advantage From 2016 to 2021
All individuals were enrolled in the VA and either traditional Medicare or Medicare Advantage. Inpatient and outpatient ED visits were identified using VA data as well as traditional Medicare and Medicare Advantage claims.
See this image and copyright information in PMC

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  • Errors in Figure.
    [No authors listed] [No authors listed] JAMA Health Forum. 2025 Feb 7;6(2):e245633. doi: 10.1001/jamahealthforum.2024.5633. JAMA Health Forum. 2025. PMID: 39918831 Free PMC article. No abstract available.
  • Payment Source Shift for Surgical Care Among Veterans Enrolled in Medicare Advantage Plans.
    Mehtsun WT, Ma Y, Latsko E, Zheng J, Phelan J, Orav EJ, Tsai TC, Frakt AB, Pizer SD, Garrido MM, Figueroa JF. Mehtsun WT, et al. JAMA Health Forum. 2025 Jun 7;6(6):e250827. doi: 10.1001/jamahealthforum.2025.0827. JAMA Health Forum. 2025. PMID: 40489967 Free PMC article.

References

    1. Massarweh NN, Itani KMF, Morris MS. The VA MISSION Act and the future of veterans’ access to quality health care. JAMA. 2020;324(4):343-344. doi:10.1001/jama.2020.4505 - DOI - PubMed
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