Moffitt R A, Slade E P
Johns Hopkins University, USA.
Future Child. 1997 Spring;7(1):87-98.
Access to adequate health insurance is a key concern of families with children at all income levels. Since 1965, mothers and children on welfare have had health care coverage through the Medicaid program, which has provided a health care safety net for welfare recipients. Although most Americans are insured through their employers, families who leave welfare for employment often find themselves in jobs that do not offer health care coverage, adding to the ranks of the uninsured. This article examines the extent to which poor children and their mothers have private insurance, Medicaid, or no health insurance at all. It documents how recent expansions of Medicaid eligibility to low-income children who do not receive welfare have improved the insurance status of children, though these changes have not helped the mothers who leave welfare for work. Citing evidence that health insurance options influence the welfare and employment decisions of women whose families face health problems, the article suggests that implementing welfare reform at a time when rates of private insurance coverage are declining will be challenging and may expose some families to health risks.
获得足够的医疗保险是各收入水平有子女家庭的一个关键关切。自1965年以来，接受福利救济的母亲和儿童通过医疗补助计划获得了医疗保健覆盖，该计划为福利领取者提供了一个医疗保健安全网。尽管大多数美国人通过雇主获得保险，但离开福利去就业的家庭往往发现自己从事的工作没有提供医疗保险，这增加了未参保者的人数。本文研究了贫困儿童及其母亲拥有私人保险、医疗补助或根本没有医疗保险的程度。它记录了最近将医疗补助资格扩大到未接受福利救济的低收入儿童如何改善了儿童的保险状况，尽管这些变化并没有帮助那些离开福利去工作的母亲。文章引用证据表明，医疗保险选择会影响其家庭面临健康问题的妇女的福利和就业决策，文章指出，在私人保险覆盖率下降之际实施福利改革将具有挑战性，可能会使一些家庭面临健康风险。
