Association for Public Policy Analysis & Management

Nearly all children with family income below the federal poverty level are eligible for public health insurance in the United States, yet stark disparities in the receipt of health care and health outcomes persist. This study poses the question of whether improving access to health care among low-income parents can lead to a reduction in disparities among youth, using dental visits as a case study. This research uses a differences-in-differences regression design and 2000-2013 National Health Interview Survey (NHIS) data to examine the association between Medicaid adult dental coverage policies and child dental visits. Among children with at least one parent enrolled in Medicaid, adult dental coverage is associated with a 4.7 percentage point increase in the likelihood of a recent dental visit. These effects appear to be concentrated among children under age 12, with effect magnitudes being similar for children ages 2-6 and 7-11, but little evidence of any effect for children over age 12. These results could inform policies that affect low-income children and their families by establishing a direct connection between parental and child health behaviors. Because some benefits, such as dental coverage, are mandatory for children enrolled in public health insurance but optional for parents, this research could also help to build the case for states to provide these benefits to parents with one objective being to increase the use of related services among children.