What can we learn from the Oregon Health Insurance Experiment?

Peter Dizikes over at MIT News (see here) has a brief description of the initial results from the Oregon Health Insurance Experiment (read about it here).  Mr. Dizikes states:

The research shows that Medicaid recipients are far more likely to receive health care than the uninsured. Citizens with Medicaid are 30 percent more likely to have a hospital stay, 35 percent more likely to have an outpatient visit to a doctor, and 15 percent more likely to take prescription drugs, compared to similar low-income citizens not enrolled in the program.

People enrolled in Medicaid also see improvements in their finances: They are 35 percent less likely to experience out-of-pocket medical expenses, and see a 25 percent decline in unpaid medical bills sent to collection agencies. The program also reduces the number of unpaid bills owed to health care providers.

Look for this study to be a flashpoint in the continuing debate over health care.