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

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. (C) 2020 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

Automated summary

The study found that the design of parental Medicaid benefit packages could help reduce income-based disparities in unmet health care needs, particularly in dental benefits. Dental insurance coverage was associated with an increased likelihood of a recent dental visit, with child effects appearing to be concentrated among children under age 12.