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UNITED STATES

ROADMAP POLICIES AND STRATEGIES

EFFECTIVE POLICIES

EFFECTIVE STRATEGIES

CHILD AND FAMILY OUTCOMES

Based on the science of the developing child, we have identified 20 outcome measures to track the overall health and wellbeing of infants and toddlers and their parents. Each outcome is aligned with a PN-3 policy goal, and illustrates states’ success in meeting that goal or indicates where a state is lagging. State leaders should monitor all of the outcomes collectively to understand how children and families are faring in their state.

Although reviewing the aggregate health and wellbeing of children and families is important, states also must pay attention to disparities in outcomes by racial and ethnic group and by socioeconomic status. Racial and ethnic disparities in outcomes reveal long-standing patterns of racism and policy choices within states that discriminate against families of color. Eliminating these disparities must be a goal for all states. Yet, small sample sizes often prohibit the measurement of state-level racial and ethnic disparities in outcomes, unless many years of data are pooled into one sample. Pooling data across years, however, limits a state’s ability to track progress toward their goals over time.

The most recently available data in the national datasets are typically a year or two old before they are released for public use, which makes it difficult for states to measure the impact of recent policy changes on changes in outcomes. The COVID-19 pandemic has made this time lag an even larger concern because of quality concerns with data from the first year of the pandemic (2020). The crisis has exacerbated inequalities, but these disparities are not captured in our publicly available national data sets yet. Nevertheless, the data provide an important portrait of child and family wellbeing.

  1. Martin, J.A., Hamilton, B.E., Osterman, M.J.K., & Driscoll, A.K. (2021, March 23). Births: Final data for 2019. US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. National Vital Statistics Reports, 70(2), 1-51. https://www.cdc.gov/nchs/data/nvsr/nvsr70/nvsr70-02-508.pdf
  2. Rudowitz, R., Garfield, R., & Hinton, E. (2019, March 6). 10 things to know about Medicaid: Setting the facts straight. Kaiser Family Foundation (KFF). https://www.kff.org/medicaid/issue-brief/10-things-to-know-about-medicaid-setting-the-facts-straight/
  3. National Federation of Independent Business et al. v. Sebelius, Secretary of Health and Human Services, et al. (US Supreme Court, 2012). US 11-393. https://www.law.cornell.edu/supct/pdf/11-393.pdf
  4. Perkins, J. (2012, July). Fact sheet: The Supreme Court’s ACA decision and its implications for Medicaid. National Health Law Program. https://healthlaw.org/resource/fact-sheet-the-supreme-courts-aca-decision-its-implications-for-medicaid/
  5. Rudowitz, R., Corallo, B., & Garfield, R. (2021, March 17). New incentive for states to adopt the ACA Medicaid expansion: Implications for state spending. KFF. https://www.kff.org/medicaid/issue-brief/new-incentive-for-states-to-adopt-the-aca-medicaid-expansion-implications-for-state-spending/
  6. Park, E. (2021, March 18). Medicaid learning lab. Session 2: Medicaid and CHIP financing. Georgetown University Health Policy Institute: CCF. https://ccf.georgetown.edu/2021/02/05/medicaid-learning-lab/
  7. Hayes, S.L., Coleman, A., Collins, S.R. & Nuzum, R. (2019). The fiscal case for Medicaid expansion. The Commonwealth Fund. https://www.commonwealthfund.org/blog/2019/fiscal-case-medicaid-expansion
  8. Park, E. (2021, March 18). Medicaid learning lab. Session 2: Medicaid and CHIP financing. Georgetown University Health Policy Institute: CCF. https://ccf.georgetown.edu/2021/02/05/medicaid-learning-lab/
  9. Park, E., & Corlette, S. (2021, March). American Rescue Plan Act: Health care provisions explained. Georgetown University Health Policy Institute: CCF. https://ccf.georgetown.edu/wp-content/uploads/2021/03/American-Rescue-Plan-signed-fix-2.pdf
  10. Reproductive age is defined as ages 15 to 44; state Medicaid expansion covers adults ages 19 to 64.
  11. Wisconsin is one exception, which provides coverage for adults with incomes at or below 100 percent of the FPL
  12. To see the range of Medicaid eligibility requirements during the perinatal period, see the evidence review on expanded income eligibility for health insurance
  13. Ranji, U., Salganicoff, A., & Gomez, I. (2021, March 18). Postpartum Coverage Extension in the American Rescue Plan Act of 2021. KFF. https://www.kff.org/policy-watch/postpartum-coverage-extension-in-the-american-rescue-plan-act-of-2021/
  14. Garfield, R., Orgera, K., & Damico, A. (2021, January 21). The coverage gap: Uninsured poor adults in states that do not expand Medicaid. KFF. https://www.kff.org/medicaid/issue-brief/the-coverage-gap-uninsured-poor-adults-in-states-that-do-not-expand-medicaid/
  15. McLean, C., Austin, L.J.E., Whitebook, M., & Olson, K.L. (2021). Early Childhood Workforce Index – 2020. Berkeley, CA: Center for the Study of Child Care Employment, University of California, Berkeley. from https://cscce.berkeley.edu/workforce-index-2020/report-pdf/
  16. Park, E., & Corlette, S. (2021, March). American Rescue Plan Act: Health care provisions explained. Georgetown University Health Policy Institute: CCF. https://ccf.georgetown.edu/wp-content/uploads/2021/03/American-Rescue-Plan-signed-fix-2.pdf
  17. Giled, S., Chakraborty, O., & Russo, T. (2017, August). How Medicaid expansion affected out-of-pocket health care spending for low-income families. The Commonwealth Fund. https://www.commonwealthfund.org/publications/issue-briefs/2017/aug/how-medicaid-expansion-affected-out-pocket-health-care-spending
  18. Kuroki, M. (2020). The effect of health insurance coverage on personal bankruptcy: Evidence from the Medicaid expansion. Review of Economics of the Household, 00, 1-23. doi:10.1007/s11150-020-09492-0
  19. Callison, K., Walker, B., Stoecker, C., Self, J., & Diana, M.L. (2021). Medicaid expansion reduced uncompensated care costs at Louisiana hospitals; May be a model for other states. Health Affairs, 40(3), 529–535. doi: 10.1377/hlthaff.2020.01677
  20. Wen, H., Druss, B.G., Cummings, J.R. (2015). Effect of Medicaid expansions on health insurance coverage and access to care among low-income adults with behavioral health conditions. Health Services Research,50(6), 1787–1809
  21. Winkelman, T.N.A & Chang, V.W. (2018). Medicaid expansion, mental health, and access to care among childless adults with and without chronic conditions. Journal of General Internal Medicine, 33(3), 376–383.
  22. Garfield, R., Orgera, K., & Damico, A. (2021, January 21). The coverage gap: Uninsured poor adults in states that do not expand Medicaid. KFF. https://www.kff.org/medicaid/issue-brief/the-coverage-gap-uninsured-poor-adults-in-states-that-do-not-expand-medicaid/
  23. Johnston, E.M., McMorrow S, Thomas, T.W., & Kenney, G.M. (2020). ACA Medicaid expansion and insurance coverage among new mothers living in poverty. Pediatrics, 145(5), e20193178. DOI: https://doi.org/10.1542/peds.2019-3178 [Expanded Income Eligibility for Health Insurance Evidence Review Study DD]
  24. Johnston, E.M., McMorrow S, Thomas, T.W., & Kenney, G.M. (2020). ACA Medicaid expansion and insurance coverage among new mothers living in poverty. Pediatrics, 145(5), e20193178. DOI: https://doi.org/10.1542/peds.2019-3178 [Expanded Income Eligibility for Health Insurance Evidence Review Study DD]
  25. Harvey, S. M., Oakley, L.P., Gibbs, S.E., Mahakalanda, S., Luck, J., & Yoon, J. (2021). Impact of Medicaid expansion in Oregon on access to prenatal care. Preventive Medicine, 143, 106360. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.ypmed.2020.106360 Received 17 July 2020; Received in revised form 30 October 2020; [Expanded Income Eligibility for Health Insurance Evidence Review Study EE]
  26. Wiggins, A., Karaye, I. M., & Horney, J. A. (2020). Medicaid expansion and infant mortality, revisited: A difference-in-differences analysis. Health Services Research, 55(3), 393-398. https://doi.org/10.1111/1475-6773.13286 [Expanded Income Eligibility for Health Insurance Evidence Review Study V]
  27. Eliason, E. L. (2020). Adoption of Medicaid expansion is associated with lower maternal mortality. Women’s Health Issues, 30(3), 147-152. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.whi.2020.01.005 [Expanded Income Eligibility for Health Insurance Evidence Review Study J]
  28. Wiggins, A., Karaye, I. M., & Horney, J. A. (2020). Medicaid expansion and infant mortality, revisited: A difference-in-differences analysis. Health Services Research, 55(3), 393-398. 6). https://doi.org/10.1111/1475-6773.13286
  29. Cook, A., & Stype, A. (2021). Medicaid expansion and infant mortality: the (questionable) impact of the Affordable Care Act. Journal of Epidemiology and Community Health, 75, 10-15. http://dx.doi.org.ezproxy.lib.utexas.edu/10.1136/jech-2019-213666 [Expanded Income Eligibility for Health Insurance Evidence Review Study GG]
  30. Brown, C. C., Moore, J. E., Felix, H. C., Stewart, M. K., Bird, T. M., Lowery, C. L., & Tilford, J. M. (2019). Association of state Medicaid expansion status with low birth weight and preterm birth. JAMA, 321(16), 1598–1609. https://doi.org/10.1001/jama.2019.3678 [Expanded Income Eligibility for Health Insurance Evidence Review Study A]
  31. Boudreaux, M. H., Dagher, R. K., & Lorch, S. A. (2018). The association of health reform and infant health: Evidence from Massachusetts. Health Services Research, 53(4), 2406–2425. https://doi.org/10.1111/1475-6773.12779 [Expanded Income Eligibility for Health Insurance Evidence Review Study W]
  32. Cook, A., & Stype, A. (2021). Medicaid expansion and infant mortality: the (questionable) impact of the Affordable Care Act. Journal of Epidemiology and Community Health, 75, 10-15. http://dx.doi.org.ezproxy.lib.utexas.edu/10.1136/jech-2019-213666 [Expanded Income Eligibility for Health Insurance Evidence Review Study GG]
  33. Eliason, E. L. (2020). Adoption of Medicaid expansion is associated with lower maternal mortality. Women’s Health Issues, 30(3), 147-152. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.whi.2020.01.005 [Expanded Income Eligibility for Health Insurance Evidence Review Study J]
  34. Bullinger, L.R. (2020). Child support and the Affordable Care Act’s Medicaid expansions. Journal of Policy Analysis and Management, 40(1), 42-77.doi:10.1002/pam.22238 [Expanded Income Eligibility for Health Insurance Evidence Review Study JJ]

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