Comparing Health Care Use and Costs among New Medicaid Enrollees before and during the COVID-19 Pandemic

This article compares health care use and cost patterns of Medicaid beneficiaries who enrolled prior to the pandemic versus new Medicaid beneficiaries who enrolled during the first wave of the COVID-19 pandemic using Medicaid data from North Carolina. With the evolving impacts of the pandemic, findings generated from this research can help state Medicaid programs with resource allocation and budgetary considerations during a period of enrollment growth.