If you’ve been practicing long enough, you’ve seen it: a 14-year-old tears their anterior cruciate ligament (ACL), and the path to recovery looks radically different depending on the card in their Mom or Dad’s wallet—Medicaid vs. commercial insurance. But in a rare piece of good news in the world of healthcare equity, the ACL disparity gap may finally be closing.
A new study published in the July 2025 issue of JAAOS: Global Research and Reviews brings receipts. Titled “”Decrease in Pediatric Anterior Cruciate Ligament Injury-related Care Disparities for Medicaid Patients From 2015 to 2020,” the study tracks a five-year trajectory toward fairer access to ACL surgery and post-op rehab for publicly insured kids.
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