Annals of emergency medicine
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Federal policy changes and tightened state budgets may reduce Medicaid enrollment in many states. In March 2003, the Oregon Health Plan (Oregon's Medicaid expansion program) made substantial changes in its benefit package that resulted in the disenrollment of more than 50,000 beneficiaries. We sought to study the impact of these Oregon Health Plan policy changes on statewide emergency department (ED) use. ⋯ Oregon's Medicaid cutbacks were followed by increases in ED use and hospitalizations by the uninsured. Recent federal legislation facilitating similar Medicaid changes in other states may lead to replication of these events elsewhere.