05 Jun Welfare Reform, Welfare Time Limits and Mortality

Posted at 04:00h in Author Interviews, Cost of Health Care, Social Issues by

Peter Muennig, MD, MPH Associate Professor of Health Policy and Management Columbia University School of Public Health NY City, NYMedicalResearch.com eInterview with:
Peter Muennig, MD, MPH
Associate Professor of Health Policy and Management
Columbia University School of Public Health
NY City, NY

 

 

MedicalResearch.com: What are the main findings of the study?

Answer: We find that one of the welfare time limit experiments that led to welfare reform in the United States in 1996 led to increases in mortality rates among experimental group participants over 14-15 years of follow up.

MedicalResearch.com: Were any of the findings unexpected?

Answer: Yes. Welfare reform led to increases in employment among the experimental group participants. Employment has long been hypothesized to reduce mortality. We examined this experiment to explore whether increases in employment among those exposed to time limits on welfare reduced mortality. We found instead they increased mortality.

MedicalResearch.com: What should clinicians and patients take away from your report?

Answer:  That social policies can have unexpected or unintended health consequences.

MedicalResearch.com: What recommendations do you have for future research as a result of this study?

Answer: Foremost, we recommend that experimental studies of social policies examine the health and economic effects of such policies. Health effects are commonly ignored outcomes, but are very important.

Citation:

Welfare programs that target workforce participation may negatively affect mortality.

Muennig P, Rosen Z, Wilde ET.

Health Aff (Millwood). 2013 Jun;32(6):1072-7. doi: 10.1377/hlthaff.2012.0971.

Last Updated on June 5, 2013 by Marie Benz MD FAAD

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