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Medicaid home care services found to benefit more than just the patient

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Caring for family members with physical and cognitive health issues has been associated with increased health risks for the caregivers. This longitudinal study published in JAMA Health Forum reveals that the self-rated mental health of family caregivers improved markedly after Medicaid home care services were utilized by the family member in need of care. Authors of the study include doctoral student Emily S. Unger, BA, David C. Grabowski, PhD, Jarvis…

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Beyond improving our health and finances, does health care reform help us be more helpful to others?

Former Harvard RWJF Health & Society Scholar Stefan Timmermans, PhD, is author on a paper published in the journal Socius: Sociological Research for a Dynamic World that suggests that both formal volunteering and informal helpfulness between neighbors increased in regions and segments of the population that likely benefited from Medicaid expansions. Not only can prosocial behavior like volunteering be beneficial for societies, but it can also improve the well-being of those engaged in the giving.

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Early exposure to Medicaid may promote intergenerational mobility & economic opportunity

Rourke O’Brien, PhD, a Harvard Robert Wood Johnson Health & Society Scholar, has co-authored a discussion paper released by the Institute for Research on Poverty that evaluates the impact of the expansion of Medicaid on intergenerational mobility.