Women and children are the first hurt by welfare reform

A study published in the latest issue of Health Services Research finds an unintended consequence of welfare reform. The reduction of insurance coverage is likely to decrease the quantity and quality of health care services of economically disadvantaged women and their children. The replacement of Aid to Families with Dependent Children (AFDC) with Temporary Assistance for Needy Families (TANF) is found to be associated with a little more than eight percent increase in the likelihood that a welfare-eligible woman was not insured, while TANF implementation was associated with a three percent raise in the probability that a welfare-eligible child lacked insurance.