07/30/2026
Adults with facial fractures – broken jaws, cheekbones and other facial bones – have historically had high rates of uninsured status, creating significant financial strain on both patients and the trauma centers that treat them. A new study published in the Journal of Oral and Maxillofacial Surgery (JOMS) found that after the Affordable Care Act took effect, Medicaid coverage among this group rose from 16 percent to 24 percent, while the share of uninsured patients dropped from 30 percent to 20 percent.
For patients, that shift meant access to care. For the hospitals treating them, it meant fewer bills going unpaid. The findings suggest that policies expanding public insurance coverage don’t just help patients – they also help sustain the trauma systems that serve them.
Read a press release on the study at https://aaoms.org/about/who-we-are/press-releases/joms-study-aca-linked-to-higher-medicaid-coverage-for-patients-with-jaw-and-facial-fractures/.