The impact of Medicaid expansion on disability benefit take-up

The programs making up the US social safety net provide economic support to individuals and families through a variety of mechanisms, spanning both in-kind and cash transfers. However, because of varying eligibility criteria and different rules around how to access benefits, the overall effectiveness of the system is limited – and there are serious concerns about how well benefit programs reach the communities they are designed to serve. The patchwork structure of the US social safety net also means that changes to one program can have dramatic implications for others, as changes in families’ economic statuses shift their incentives and eligibility for other benefits. While the fact that many eligible individuals fail to enroll in income support programs is well-documented, there is limited research on how changes to rules and eligibility criteria in one program impact participation across other programs, and how these impacts vary across racial groups. In “The effect of Medicaid expansion on the take-up of disability benefits by race and ethnicity,” Becky Staiger, Madeline Helfer, and Jessica Van Parys examine these questions, with a focus on how Medicaid expansion under the Affordable Care Act (ACA) has shifted participation in two core programs serving people with disabilities: Supplemental Security Income (SSI) and Social Security Disability Insurance (SSDI).