Is the Affordable Care Act Medicaid Expansion Associated With Reported Incidents of Child Sexual Abuse?

Autor: Assini-Meytin LC; Department of Mental Health, 1466Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health, Baltimore, MD, USA., Nair R; Department of Mental Health, 1466Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health, Baltimore, MD, USA., McGinty EB; Department of Health Policy and Management, 1466Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health, Baltimore, MD, USA., Stuart EA; Department of Mental Health, 1466Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health, Baltimore, MD, USA., Letourneau EJ; Department of Mental Health, 1466Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health, Baltimore, MD, USA.
Jazyk: angličtina
Zdroj: Child maltreatment [Child Maltreat] 2023 May; Vol. 28 (2), pp. 203-208. Date of Electronic Publication: 2022 Feb 25.
DOI: 10.1177/10775595221079605
Abstrakt: There is substantial evidence that adequate access to healthcare among low-income adults through the Affordable Care Act Medicaid expansion mitigates risk factors associated with childhood maltreatment, including parental financial insecurity, substance use, and poor mental health. Indeed, studies identified reduced reports of child neglect in states that expanded Medicaid, relative to those that did not. However, it is unknown whether Medicaid expansion is associated with reported child sexual abuse (CSA). We present findings from a study evaluating the association of Medicaid expansion with incidents of CSA reported to child protective services. Using a difference-in-differences approach, we analyzed data from the National Child Abuse and Neglect Data System to examine the effects of state-level adoption of the Medicaid expansion on CSA reports per 100,000 children across 2008-2018. Results indicated no statistically significant association between Medicaid expansion and CSA incidents. We discuss potential reasons for differential association of macro-level policies on types of child maltreatment.
Databáze: MEDLINE