Expanding Access to Medicaid Data for Research: Feasibility of a MAX Sample

This report examined the feasibility of creating a Medicaid sample based on annual MAX files—a “Mini-MAX”—to make it easier for users to design and conduct MAX studies and make MAX data accessible to a broader community of Medicaid researchers, policymakers, program administrators, and advocacy groups—including those without mainframe access or who are otherwise unable to process MAX files because of their size or complexity. A Mini-MAX sample that allows users to address many common research questions with sufficient precision is possible; however, it should be accompanied by user-friendly documentation about the complexities of the Medicaid program, MAX data, and the Mini-MAX sample.