We explore the role of the largest means-tested transfer program, Medicaid, on multiple measures of food hardship among households with children, including measures that capture hardship explicitly experienced by children. Using data from the 2001 to 2020 waves of the December Current Population Survey, we identify the effect of having a Medicaid-eligible child on household food hardship by exploiting between-state, over-time, and between-household income eligibility criteria. We find that having an eligible child reduces rates of household food insecurity and very low food security by 20% and 26%, respectively. Among children themselves, eligibility reduces rates of food insecurity and very low food security by 22% each. The effects are stronger for households headed by Black and Hispanic individuals as well as households that have children under 6 years old.

中文翻译：

---

医疗补助慷慨和儿童的粮食困难

我们探讨了最大的经济状况调查转移计划（医疗补助）在有儿童家庭粮食困难的多种衡量标准中的作用，包括捕捉儿童明确经历的困难的衡量标准。利用 2001 年至 2020 年 12 月当前人口调查的数据，我们通过利用州间、超时和家庭之间的收入资格标准，确定了拥有符合医疗补助资格的孩子对家庭粮食困难的影响。我们发现，拥有一个符合条件的孩子可以将家庭粮食不安全率和粮食安全度极低的比率分别降低 20% 和 26%。对于儿童本身来说，符合资格可将粮食不安全率和粮食安全度极低的比率分别降低 22%。对于以黑人和西班牙裔为户主的家庭以及有 6 岁以下儿童的家庭来说，这种影响更为严重。