I examine whether changes in Medicaid eligibility for young children can help explain the caseload growth in the Food Stamp program between 1987 and 1995. Medicaid may increase food stamp participation through increased awareness about other welfare benefits. It could also reduce earnings...

Several welfare programs in the United States restrict eligibility to single-parent families. This paper asks whether eliminating this restriction for Medicaid encourages marriage. I identify Medicaid's effect through a series of health insurance reforms that were passed in the 1980s and 1990s...

This paper assesses the importance of receiving public health insurance through the Medicaid program on participation in Supplemental Security Income (SSI) for the elderly. The implementation of the Qualified Medicare Beneficiary (QMB) program offered a substitute for the Medicaid coverage, and...

This study provides evidence on the economic decisions of senior citizens with respect to the largest means-tested program in the United States: the Medicaid program. Virtually all senior citizens have health insurance coverage through Medicare, but poor seniors may also be eligible for...

I assess the impact of losing public health insurance on the labor market decisions of women by examining a series of Medicaid eligibility expansions targeted toward young children. These targeted expansions severed the historical tie between AFDC and Medicaid eligibility. The reforms allowed a...

The participation rate for working-age adults in the Supplemental Security Income (SSI) program increased by 37 percent from 1987 to 1993. This paper examines the role of public health insurance provided through Medicaid on the SSI participation decision. I use the rapid growth in Medicaid...