Adult Medicaid benefit generosity and receipt of recommended health services among low-income children: The spillover effects of Medicaid adult dental coverage expansions

Brandy J. Lipton

Journal of Health Economics, 2021, vol. 75, issue C

Abstract: Low-income children are less likely to receive recommended health services than their high-income counterparts. This paper examines whether the design of parental Medicaid benefit packages could serve as a mechanism for reducing income-based disparities in unmet health care needs, considering dental benefits as a case study. Leveraging state-level changes to adult dental benefits over time, I find that coverage is associated with increases of 14 and 5 percentage points, respectively, in the likelihood of a recent dental visit among parents and children directly exposed to the policy. Child effects appear to be concentrated among younger children under age 12.

Keywords: Medicaid; Public health insurance expansion; Healthcare access; Dental care; Oral health policy (search for similar items in EconPapers)
JEL-codes: I11 I12 I13 I18 (search for similar items in EconPapers)
Date: 2021
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Citations: View citations in EconPapers (1)

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Persistent link: https://EconPapers.repec.org/RePEc:eee:jhecon:v:75:y:2021:i:c:s016762962031050x

DOI: 10.1016/j.jhealeco.2020.102404

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