Medicaid generosity and food hardship among children

We explore the role of the largest means-tested transfer program, Medicaid, on multiple measures of food hardship among households with children, including measures that capture hardship explicitly experienced by children. Using data from the 2001 to 2020 waves of the December Current Population Survey, we identify the effect of having a Medicaid-eligible child on household food hardship by exploiting between-state, over-time, and between-household income eligibility criteria. We find that having an eligible child reduces rates of household food insecurity and very low food security by 20% and 26%, respectively. Among children themselves, eligibility reduces rates of food insecurity and very low food security by 22% each. The effects are stronger for households headed by Black and Hispanic individuals as well as households that have children under 6 years old.

Automated summary

This study examines the impact of Medicaid, the largest means-tested transfer program, on food hardship among households with children. The findings suggest that having a Medicaid-eligible child significantly reduces rates of household food insecurity and very low food security. The effects are particularly pronounced for households headed by Black and Hispanic individuals as well as households with children under 6 years old.