Medicaid and Intergenerational Economic Mobility

This paper published by the Institute for Research on Poverty examines the effect of Medicaid expansions on intergenerational economic mobility. Using new data, the authors utilize the uneven Medicaid eligibility expansions across states to isolate the effect of this policy change on various mobility outcomes. The research led to the conclusion that Medicaid expansions increase the probability that children born to low-income parents experience absolute upward mobility. Furthermore, early exposure to health insurance may be influential in promoting intergenerational mobility and economic opportunity.