ABSTRACT
OBJECTIVES: To evaluate the quality of Arkansas All-Payer Claims Database (APCD) for disparity research in persistent poverty areas by determining (1) its representativeness of Arkansas population, (2) variation by county, and (3) differences in coverage between persistent poverty and other counties. DATA SOURCES: Cross-sectional study using 2019 Arkansas APCD member enrollment data and county-level data from various agencies. DATA COLLECTION/EXTRACTION METHODS: An alias identifier linked persons across insurance plans. County FIPS codes were used to extract county-level variables. STUDY DESIGN: Cohort 1 included individuals with ≥1 day of medical coverage in 2019. Cohort 2 included individuals with medical coverage in June, 2019. Cohort 3 included individuals with continuous medical coverage in 2019. Sampling proportions of a county's population in the three cohorts were compared between persistent poverty and other counties. Inverse-variance weighted linear regression was used to identify county-level socioeconomic and demographic characteristics associated with inclusion in each cohort. PRINCIPAL FINDINGS: In 2019, 73.6% of Arkansans had medical coverage for ≥1 day (Cohort 1), 66.3% had coverage in June (Cohort 2), and 58.8% had continuous coverage (Cohort 3) in APCD. Sampling proportions varied by county (median[range]: Cohort 1, 78% [58%-95%]; Cohort 2, 71% [51%-88%]; and Cohort 3, 64% [44%-80%]), and were higher among persistent poverty counties than others for all three cohorts (mean [SD], persistent poverty vs. other: Cohort 1: 80.9% [6.4%] vs. 77.1% [6.3%], p = 0.04; Cohort 2: 74.0% [6.4%] vs. 70.1% [6.2%], p = 0.03; Cohort 3: 66.4% [6.1%] vs. 62.7% [6.0%], p = 0.03). In the 2019 APCD, larger counties and those with higher proportions of females or persons 65+ years had higher coverage, whereas counties with higher per capita household income, median home value, or disproportionately more persons of other races (non-White and non-Black) had lower coverage (p < 0.05 for all three cohorts). CONCLUSIONS: The Arkansas APCD had good coverage of Arkansas population. Coverage was higher in persistent poverty counties than others.
