Which California families might miss out on the Child Tax Credit?
The newly expanded federal Child Tax Credit (CTC) is expected to provide a significant financial boost for families, lifting millions out of poverty. Because families need to have filed a tax return to receive it, some low-income families will likely miss out on receiving some or all of the credit. Researchers at the California Policy Lab found that almost half of all children at risk of not receiving the CTC are either part of families headed by undocumented adults or by an adult who would usually not file their own tax return because they could be claimed as a dependent.
Medicaid expansion curbed uninsurance during the pandemic
The COVID-19 pandemic and associated economic recession have led to unprecedented disruptions in employment and loss of health care coverage for millions of Americans. Researchers at Harvard University examined uninsurance rates in 2020 in Arkansas, Kentucky, Louisiana, and Texas and found that while uninsurance rates rose among adults with low incomes, the presence of Medicaid expansion was protective for Black and Latinx individuals.
Effects of preemption on cigarette smoking among adults
Localities have often been quicker than states to respond with policy changes to public health concerns related to tobacco use. But some states have preempted localities from passing stringent tobacco control laws. Researchers at the George Washington and George Mason Universities studied the effects of state preemption of local smoke-free restrictions in work sites, restaurants, and bars on county-level adult cigarette smoking between 1997 and 2017. The results indicated that state smoke-free preemption laws increase county-level cigarette smoking prevalence among adults by more than 8 percent and affect counties differently based on sociodemographic factors.
Despite extensive evidence of the negative effects of shift work on employee health, jobs that require work outside the traditional hours of 8:00 a.m. to 6:00 p.m. have become increasingly prevalent. Drawing on qualitative interviews with leaders of health collaboratives and manufacturing companies, researchers at Northwestern University highlight the opportunities across multiple sectors to mitigate the negative effects of shift work.
“Why Building Black Wealth Is Key to Health Equity”: To dismantle structural racism, says Policies for Action National Advisory Committee member Darrick Hamilton, our nation needs a new narrative—and systems and policies that advance racial and economic justice. Read the Culture of Health
blog post featuring professor Hamilton.
Call for abstracts: Health Services Research, in partnership with the Catholic Health Association, has announced a special issue that will feature studies focused on health care equity and is accepting abstracts for submission. The application deadline is October 15, 2021. Learn more.
