By Eric Tegethoff, July 31, 2019 for Public News Service - ID
BOISE, Idaho – As Idaho prepares to implement Medicaid expansion, research shows the health coverage should have added benefits for kids.
A study in the Journal of the American Medical Association found that rates of child neglect decreased for states that have decided to expand Medicaid. The study looked at child maltreatment data between 2010 and 2016.
Liz Woodruff, assistant director of the group Idaho Voices for Children, said access to health care can relieve stress from chronic illnesses and other health-related issues for parents.
"And importantly, they have financial stability," she said, "and that financial stability also reduces stress within a family, makes parents more available to be good parents to their kids, and I think that that's what the research shows."
In the study window, 31 states had expanded their Medicaid programs and 19 had not. Researchers also looked at physical abuse rates, but found no significant differences due to expansion.
[Please click here to read more.]
A study in the Journal of the American Medical Association found that rates of child neglect decreased for states that have decided to expand Medicaid. The study looked at child maltreatment data between 2010 and 2016.
Liz Woodruff, assistant director of the group Idaho Voices for Children, said access to health care can relieve stress from chronic illnesses and other health-related issues for parents.
"And importantly, they have financial stability," she said, "and that financial stability also reduces stress within a family, makes parents more available to be good parents to their kids, and I think that that's what the research shows."
In the study window, 31 states had expanded their Medicaid programs and 19 had not. Researchers also looked at physical abuse rates, but found no significant differences due to expansion.
[Please click here to read more.]
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