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Working with Disability: Mathematica Brief Compares Medicaid Buy-In Participants' Earnings Before and After Enrollment |
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The fourth policy brief in a new Mathematica series examining the Medicaid Buy-In program compares annual earnings among first-time Buy-In participants before and after their initial enrollment in the program. The program, a key component of the federal effort to help people with disabilities return to work without losing health insurance coverage, allows adults with disabilities to earn more than would otherwise be possible and still keep their Medicaid coverage. Sixty-five percent of participants under age 21 increased their earnings after enrollment. Factors other than lack of health insurance, such as the risk of losing disability cash benefits, may constrain Buy-In participants from working or improving their earning potential. In addition, participation in Supplemental Security Income (SSI) 1619 programs, which promote work and reduce dependency on SSI benefits, before enrollment was also related to earnings increases. The program alone may not be enough to foster big increases in their employment," said Su Liu, co-author and a researcher at Mathematica. by Su Liu and Bob Weathers are available from Publications, (609) 275-2350. Mathematica, a nonpartisan firm, conducts policy research and surveys for federal and state governments, foundations, and private-sector clients. The employee-owned company, with offices in Princeton, N.J., Washington, D.C., and Cambridge, Mass., has conducted some of the most important studies of disability, health care, early childhood policies, welfare, education, employment, and nutrition programs in the U.S. Mathematica strives to improve public well-being by bringing the highest standards of quality, objectivity, and excellence to bear on the provision of information collection and analysis to its clients.
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