Investing in Health and Public Safety: Childhood Medicaid Eligibility and Later Life Criminal Behavior

Abstract

A growing body of research documents positive long-term impacts of public health insurance that go far beyond improving recipients’ health. In this study, we expand the analysis to assess whether expanding Medicaid coverage generates reductions in crime. We find that increased Medicaid eligibility during childhood generates significant reductions in crime in early adulthood. Cohorts who experienced expanded Medicaid eligibility during childhood had significantly fewer arrests for property crime, drug-related crime, and driving under the influence in early adulthood. The effects are concentrated among males, are larger for blacks than whites, and larger for eligibility experienced later in childhood.