Author Archives: J Wyatt Koma, Marian Jarlenski, and Cheryl Austein Casnoff

About J Wyatt Koma, Marian Jarlenski, and Cheryl Austein Casnoff

J. Wyatt Koma, B.S., is a recent graduate of the University of Pittsburgh, where he studied Neuroscience. Wyatt’s interests include measuring access to health care in a changing U.S. policy environment; and ways to decrease modifiable behavioral health risks, such as cigarette smoking, in low-income populations.

Smoking in America: Medicaid, Quitting, and Income

Over the last few decades, cigarette smoking has become a health burden concentrated primarily among low-income individuals in the U.S. In our recently published research study, Medicaid coverage expansions and cigarette smoking cessation among low-income adults, we sought to determine the relationship between recent expansions of Medicaid coverage and smoking cessation for low-income adults. Demographics… Read More »

The Political Context of Medicaid Expansion

Republican Congressional leaders are currently debating how to repeal the Affordable Care Act (ACA) as part of the budget reconciliation process. Much of the debate over the ACA has focused on the individual mandate (and here) and the affordability (here and here) of coverage in the state-based marketplaces. The House version of the legislation, however,… Read More »