Body of Work Evaluating Impact of Affordable Care Act Recognized with HSR Impact Award

(Washington, D.C.) Jan. 30, 2017 – Research evaluating the impacts of health insurance and the Affordable Care Act (ACA) received the esteemed AcademyHealth HSR (Health Services Research) Impact Award today. Each year, AcademyHealth announces this award to recognize research that has had a significant impact on health policy and/or practice.

This year’s award-winning research from Dr. Benjamin Sommers and his colleagues has helped shape both the implementation of the ACA and the state of understanding of its effects to date. Their high-impact research in four distinct areas relevant to the ACA – effects of coverage on health, movement between coverage sources, the dependent coverage provision, and marketplace and Medicaid expansions – informed policymakers ranging from state legislators to the White House and were cited in Supreme Court briefings and beyond. Their studies were also described by NPR as “some of the best evidence so far” that health insurance improves survival.

“I am always pleased when health services research takes its rightful place in the national spotlight,” said AcademyHealth President and CEO Dr. Lisa Simpson. “This work from Dr. Sommers and his colleagues validates the critical role this evidence can play in the state and federal policy dialogue. Now, especially with the uncertainty surrounding the future of the ACA, I hope policymakers will continue to cite the best evidence from the field – such as this body of research – to inform their decisions.”

The HSR Impact Award is presented at the 2017 AcademyHealth National Health Policy Conference, which convenes thought leaders and stakeholders from across the spectrum of health care to examine the most immediate and pressing policy priorities for the year ahead. A full description of this work can be found on the AcademyHealth website.

About AcademyHealth

AcademyHealth is a leading national organization serving the fields of health services and policy research and the professionals who produce and use this important work. Together with our members, we offer programs and services that support the development and use of rigorous, relevant and timely evidence to increase the quality, accessibility, and value of health care, to reduce disparities, and to improve health. A trusted broker of information, AcademyHealth brings stakeholders together to address the current and future needs of an evolving health system, inform health policy, and translate evidence into action.