Report: Medicaid Helps Children’s Future Health and Wealth

Public News Service

July 28, 2015

By Troy Wilde,

SALT LAKE CITY– A report released by the Georgetown University Center for Children and Families, coinciding with Medicaid’s 50th anniversary, found that the program improves long-term health, education, and economic success in children. The study reveals lower rates of emergency room visits, hospitalizations, and lower blood pressure in adults who benefited from Medicaid as children.

Report co-author Joan Alker, executive director with the Center for Children and Families, says the study also shows that kids who benefited from Medicaid have higher incomes later in life. She says it means they are less reliant on societal safety net programs and pay more in taxes – providing the government with a return on investment.

“The value of these studies is to actually look at the numbers,” she says. “What all of these studies show is that Medicaid is providing an incredibly valuable service to kids, and that the taxpayers are getting a great return on their investment.”

Read more here.

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