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AI Summary of Peer-Reviewed Research

This page presents an AI-generated summary of a published research paper. The original authors did not write or review this article. [See full disclosure ↓]

Publishing process signals: STRONG — reflects the venue and review process. — venue and review process.

Undocumented patients had more self-pay ED visits after 2018

Psychology research
Photo by DarkoStojanovic on Pixabay · Pixabay License
Research area:MedicineEmergency MedicineEmergency department

What the study found

Likely undocumented patients had an increase of 2.10 percentage points in self-pay emergency department (ED) visits compared with US-born patients after the 2018 public charge announcement.

Why the authors say this matters

The authors suggest this finding shows how anti-immigrant policies can alter payment patterns. They say it has implications for patient financial burden and safety-net hospital fiscal sustainability.

What the researchers tested

This was a cohort study of ED encounters. The researchers compared self-pay ED visits among likely undocumented patients and US-born patients before and after the 2018 public charge announcement.

What worked and what didn't

The study found a 2.10 percentage-point increase in self-pay for ED visits among likely undocumented patients relative to US-born patients after the announcement. The abstract does not describe any other tested outcomes or interventions.

What to keep in mind

The abstract does not describe additional limitations, and it does not provide details on how likely undocumented patients were identified beyond that label. The available summary also does not report other outcomes, setting details, or longer-term effects.

Key points

  • Likely undocumented patients had more self-pay ED visits after the 2018 public charge announcement.
  • The increase was 2.10 percentage points compared with US-born patients.
  • The authors link the finding to possible changes in payment patterns from anti-immigrant policies.
  • The abstract says the finding has implications for patient financial burden and safety-net hospital fiscal sustainability.

Disclosure

Research title:
Undocumented patients had more self-pay ED visits after 2018
Authors:
Alein Haro-Ramos, Sarah Axeen, Anna Clare Gorman, Todd Schneberk, Annie Ro
Institutions:
Society for Public Health Education, University of Southern California, Los Angeles County Department of Health Services
Publication date:
2026-01-29
DOI:
10.1001/jamanetworkopen.2025.55081
OpenAlex record:
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Image credit:
Photo by DarkoStojanovic on Pixabay · Pixabay License
AI provenance: This post was generated by OpenAI. The original authors did not write or review this post.

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