Medicaid Waivers Targeting Children With Autism Spectrum Disorder Reduce The Need For Parents To Stop Working.
Several states have passed Medicaid home and community-based services waivers that expand eligibility criteria and available services for children with autism spectrum disorder. Although previous research has shown considerable variation in these waivers, little is known about the programs' impact on parents' workforce participation. We used nationally representative survey data combined with detailed information on state Medicaid waiver programs to determine the effects of waivers on whether parents of children with autism spectrum disorder had to stop working because of the child's condition. Increases in the Medicaid home and community-based services waiver cost limit and enrollment limit significantly reduced the likelihood that a parent had to stop working, although the results varied considerably by household income level. These findings suggest that the Medicaid waivers are effective policies to address the care-related needs of children with autism spectrum disorder.
Douglas L. Leslie (Dleslie@phs.psu.edu) is a professor at the Penn State College of Medicine, in Hershey.
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Khaled Iskandarani is a research data analyst at the Penn State College of Medicine.
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Iskandarani
Diana L. Velott is a senior instructor at the Penn State College of Medicine.
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Bradley D. Stein is a senior behavioral and policy sciences researcher at the RAND Corporation in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania.
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David S. Mandell is director of the Center for Mental Health Policy and Services Research at the Perelman School of Medicine, University of Pennsylvania, in Philadelphia.
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Edeanya Agbese is a project manager at the Penn State College of Medicine.
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Andrew W. Dick is a senior economist at the RAND Corporation in Boston, Massachusetts.
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D000293:Adolescent; D000067877:Autism Spectrum Disorder / Q000191:economics* / Q000208:ethnology; D002648:Child; D002675:Child, Preschool; D004608:Eligibility Determination / Q000191:economics; D004651:Employment / Q000706:statistics & numerical data*; D006306:Health Surveys; D006801:Humans; D007182:Income / Q000706:statistics & numerical data; D008484:Medicaid / Q000331:legislation & jurisprudence / Q000706:statistics & numerical data*; D010290:Parents; D014481:United States
Access To Care; Children’s Health; Medicaid