The long-term effects of income for at-risk infants: Evidence from Supplemental Security Income
This hybrid seminar examines whether a generous cash intervention early in life can "undo" some of the long-term disadvantage associated with poor health at birth.
We use new linkages between several large-scale administrative datasets to examine the short, medium, and long-term effects of providing low-income families with low birthweight infants support through the Supplemental Security Income (SSI) program. This program uses a birthweight cutoff at 1200 grams to determine eligibility.
We find that families of infants born just below this cutoff experience a large increase in cash benefits totaling about 27% of family income in the first three years of the infant's life. These cash benefits persist at lower amounts through age 10. Eligible infants also experience a small but statistically significant increase in Medicaid enrollment during childhood.
We examine whether this support affects health care use and mortality in infancy, educational performance in high school, post-secondary school attendance and college degree attainment, and earnings, public assistance use, and mortality in young adulthood for all infants born in California to low-income families whose birthweight puts them near the cutoff. We also examine whether these payments had spillover effects onto the older siblings of these infants who may have also benefited from the increase in family resources.
Despite the comprehensive nature of this early life intervention, we detect no improvements in any of the study outcomes, nor do we find improvements among the older siblings of these infants. These null effects persist across several subgroups and alternative model specifications.
Speaker Profile
Associate Professor Sarah Miller, University of Michigan
Sarah Miller is an economist and Associate Professor of Business Economics and Public Policy at the University of Michigan's Stephen M. Ross School of Business.
Dr Miller's research interests are in health economics, including the short-term and long-term effects of public policies that expand health insurance coverage, the economic effects of access to reproductive healthcare services, and the impact of social programs on health and well-being.
In addition to her work on health economics, she is also a principal investigator in the OpenResearch Lab Basic Income Randomized Controlled Trial.
Weekly seminar series
As part of our centre's vibrant research culture, we host a weekly seminar series. Visiting and invited researchers present current research relating to the economics of health and wellbeing, and the healthcare sector. Visitors are welcome to join these sessions where discussion and debate is encouraged.
For further information on our seminar series, please contact shannon.stanwell@monash.edu
Event Details
- Date:
- 18 October 2023 at 12:00 pm – 1:00 pm
- Venue:
- Caulfield campus, Building H, Level 8, Room H8.01 or via Zoom
- Categories:
- CHE Seminar; Health Economics
Description
This hybrid seminar examines whether a generous cash intervention early in life can "undo" some of the long-term disadvantage associated with poor health at birth.
We use new linkages between several large-scale administrative datasets to examine the short, medium, and long-term effects of providing low-income families with low birthweight infants support through the Supplemental Security Income (SSI) program. This program uses a birthweight cutoff at 1200 grams to determine eligibility.
We find that families of infants born just below this cutoff experience a large increase in cash benefits totaling about 27% of family income in the first three years of the infant's life. These cash benefits persist at lower amounts through age 10. Eligible infants also experience a small but statistically significant increase in Medicaid enrollment during childhood.
We examine whether this support affects health care use and mortality in infancy, educational performance in high school, post-secondary school attendance and college degree attainment, and earnings, public assistance use, and mortality in young adulthood for all infants born in California to low-income families whose birthweight puts them near the cutoff. We also examine whether these payments had spillover effects onto the older siblings of these infants who may have also benefited from the increase in family resources.
Despite the comprehensive nature of this early life intervention, we detect no improvements in any of the study outcomes, nor do we find improvements among the older siblings of these infants. These null effects persist across several subgroups and alternative model specifications.
Speaker Profile
Associate Professor Sarah Miller, University of Michigan
Sarah Miller is an economist and Associate Professor of Business Economics and Public Policy at the University of Michigan's Stephen M. Ross School of Business.
Dr Miller's research interests are in health economics, including the short-term and long-term effects of public policies that expand health insurance coverage, the economic effects of access to reproductive healthcare services, and the impact of social programs on health and well-being.
In addition to her work on health economics, she is also a principal investigator in the OpenResearch Lab Basic Income Randomized Controlled Trial.
Weekly seminar series
As part of our centre's vibrant research culture, we host a weekly seminar series. Visiting and invited researchers present current research relating to the economics of health and wellbeing, and the healthcare sector. Visitors are welcome to join these sessions where discussion and debate is encouraged.
For further information on our seminar series, please contact shannon.stanwell@monash.edu