Among Black Children, Expanded Medicaid Child Coverage In The 1990s Led To A Decline In Adult Incarceration

Increasing Medicaid eligibility for children in the 1990s led to a decline in adult incarceration by age 28 for Black children. In 1990, Congress passed legislation that increased Medicaid eligibility for individuals born after September 30, 1983. Children born on or after October 1, 1983, experienced more years of Medicaid eligibility than those born before or on September 30, 1983. An estimated 24% of Black children born just after the cutoff gained an average of 6.10 years of Medicaid eligibility. Black cohorts born just after the eligibility cutoff had 5.1% fewer individuals incarcerated by age 28 compared to . . .