儿童时期获得社会安全网保障的多代影响：生命早期接触医疗补助计划（Medicaid）与下一代健康

Multigenerational Impacts of Childhood Access to the Safety Net: Early Life Exposure to Medicaid and the Next Generation’s Health

中文摘要

我们采用一种新的研究设计，利用美国部分州产前医疗补助资格范围的急剧扩大，考察胎儿期有益健康的干预所产生的多代影响。我们的分析基于美国生命统计出生记录，这些记录能够将个体生命早期接触医疗补助计划（Medicaid）的情况与其下一代出生时的健康状况关联起来。我们发现证据表明，与接受干预的世代在生命早期接触该计划相关的健康益处延伸到了其后代。我们的结果提示，对生命早期健康投资回报的估计可能存在实质性低估。

Abstract

We examine multi-generational impacts of positive in utero health interventions using a new research design that exploits sharp increases in prenatal Medicaid eligibility that occurred in some states. Our analyses are based on U.S. Vital Statistics Natality files, which enables linkages between individuals' early life Medicaid exposure and the next generation's health at birth. We find evidence that the health benefits associated with treated generations' early life program exposure extend to later offspring. Our results suggest that the returns on early life health investments may be substantively underestimated.