July 29, 2015
By Suzanne Potter,
OAKLAND, CA– As California’s Medicaid program, known as Medi-Cal celebrates its 50th birthday this week, a new report by the Georgetown Center for Children and Families shows the positive effect the program has had on millions since its beginning.
In the Georgetown Center for Children and Families’s report, data on Americans who received Medicaid benefits as children was examined. The study resulted in finding that these children are much healthier as adults. Participants tended to have lower blood pressure, and continue to make fewer emergency room visits, ultimately saving taxpayer dollars.
Joan Alker, executive director of the Georgetown Center for Children and Families, notes the studies found participants also make more money as adults, and are more likely to surpass their parents’ income level. “Some studies are now finding that children who received Medicaid actually pay more taxes as adults and use fewer government subsidies,” she says. “The government is getting a great return on investment by providing kids with Medicaid.”
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