The study authors speculated that some with private plans were avoiding care due to high out-of-pocket costs associated with going to the hospital. (Photo: Shutterstock)

A new study offers good news and bad news about the Affordable Care Act.

The study by the Urban Institute indicates that those with health coverage through the ACA marketplace receive "significantly less care" in hospital emergency rooms than Medicaid enrollees. That's despite the fact that there is much greater spending associated with each visit for those with private ACA plans.

The average spending for a marketplace enrollee is $2,445 "per unit of care," in the ER compared to only $844 for Medicaid enrollees. For outpatient hospital care the disparity is smaller but nevertheless significant: $522 versus $306.