Medicaid improves children’s health in the long term, improves education outcomes for children, and improves financial outcomes for children later in life.

1. Implications for Policy
• Medicaid is an important anti-poverty program; continue to fund Medicaid
• Consider implications of Medicaid beyond the individual
o Coverage for parents improves outcomes for children; Medicaid reduces
likelihood of families being in poverty
• Evaluate consumer feedback to improve program administration
• Minimize cross-state and cross-county disparities in access to services and
administrative burden
RESEARCH BRIEF SERIES
Supporting Vulnerable New York Families
Tuesday, April 24, 2018
Legislative Office Building, Albany NY
Medicaid and Vulnerable Families in New York State
By Jamila Michener, Cornell University
Background
1. Medicaid improves
children’s health in the
long term, improves
education outcomes for
children, and improves
financial outcomes for
children later in life.
2. In New York 51% of
births are financed by
Medicaid, and parents
enrolled in Medicaid
have children who are
29% more likely to
receive a well-child
visit.
3. Between 2013 and
2015, 710,000 children
gained public coverage
when their parents
enrolled in Medicaid.
New York
Policy
In New York,
children are the
second-largest group
of enrollees, yet they
receive the smallest
portion of total
Medicaid spending.
For more information about Cornell Project 2Gen visit www.2gen.bctr.cornell.edu or contact us at project2gen@cornell.edu.
Findings
Children with Medicaid are more likely
to access care compared to uninsured
children, and the proportion of
children with Medicaid who access
various types of care aligns with rates
for privately-insured children. A higher
proportion of children with Medicaid
use prescription drugs compared to
privately-insured children.
Spending by Enrollment Group
Enrollee Composition
Adults Children Elderly Disabled
85%
97%
12% 14%
86%
98%
15% 12%
56%
72%
7% 7%
Well-child checkup Usual source of sick
care
Specialist visit Prescription medication
use
Medicaid/other public Private Uninsured
11%
11%
44%
35%
Source: Georgetown Health Policy Institute
30%
36%
26%
12%