This paper assessed whether expanding public health insurance coverage to parents leads to increases in Medicaid participation among children. We find that children who reside in states that expanded coverage to parents participate in Medicaid at a rate of 20 percentage points higher than those who live in states without such expansions. Particularly noteworthy, Massachusetts's expansion in coverage to parents led to a 14 percentage point increase in Medicaid coverage among children, largely due to the reduction in uninsurance among Medicaid-eligible children. These study findings suggest that expanding coverage to parents has important spillover effects on children's participation in Medicaid. (Dubay, Lisa, and Genevieve Kenney. October 2003. "Expanding Public Health Insurance to Parents: Effects on Children's Coverage under Medicaid." Health Services Research 38(5): 1283-1302.)
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