Description/Abstract
This study investigates the effect of the Temporary Aid to Needy Families (TANF) program on children’s health outcomes using data from the Survey of Income and Program Participation (SIPP) over the period 1994 to 2005. The TANF policies have been credited with increased employment for single mothers and a dramatic drop in welfare caseload. Our results show that these policies also had a significant effect on various measures of children’s medical utilization among low-income families. These health measures include a rating of the child’s health status reported by the parents; the number of times that parents consulted a doctor; and the number of nights that the child stayed in a hospital. We compare the overall changes of health status and medical utilization for children with working and nonworking mothers. We find that the child’s health status as reported by the parents is affected by the maternal employment status.
Document Type
Working Paper
Date
Fall 11-2014
Keywords
Maternal Employment, Children's Health, Welfare, Fixed Effects
Language
English
Series
Working Papers Series
Disciplines
Economics | Health Policy | Medicine and Health | Social Welfare | Sociology
Recommended Citation
Baltagi, Badi H. and Yen, Yin -Fang, "Welfare Reform and Children’s Health" (2014). Center for Policy Research. 204.
https://surface.syr.edu/cpr/204
Accessible PDF version
Source
Local input
Creative Commons License
This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution 3.0 License.
Included in
Economics Commons, Health Policy Commons, Medicine and Health Commons, Social Welfare Commons
Additional Information
Working paper no. 172