Wednesday, October 7th, 1-2 p.m. ET,
Kresge 439 + Zoom
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"Preliminary Results from the Virginia Work Requirements Experiment" |
Presented by Adrianna McIntyre
Assistant Professor of Health Policy and Politics,
Department of Health Policy and Management
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Work requirements have long been a feature of SNAP, and most states must implement Medicaid work requirements starting in 2027. Proponents argue they prevent benefits from discouraging employment and reduce taxpayer costs, but a growing body of evidence suggests they screen out eligible enrollees, including those who stand to gain the most. We tested consequences of work requirements in SNAP using a randomized controlled trial in Virginia. We assigned almost 40,000 SNAP enrollees subject to the requirements either to the status quo (6 months of benefits before enforcement) or to an additional 6- or 12-month exemption. We separately randomized how long people could stay enrolled before recertifying. Both exemptions and longer recertification periods increased enrollment, though gains from longer recertifications faded quickly. Effects on labor supply were mixed. We found no statistically significant effects in the first two quarters after initiation, but in quarters three and four, we estimate modest negative effects on employment of around 1–1.5 percentage points, relative to a control group mean of 46–47%. Confidence intervals rule out both null effects and effects larger than 3 percentage points. Our estimates suggest that for each person who starts working under work requirements, 5 to 8 people lose SNAP. Subgroup analyses suggest that people responsive to the requirements tended to have more work history and a stronger foothold in the labor force, while those screened out looked more vulnerable, with weaker ties to work.
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Adrianna McIntyre, PhD, MPH, MPP is an Assistant Professor of Health Policy and Politics in the Department of Health Policy and Management at the Harvard T.H. Chan School of Public Health. She studies administrative burdens in the U.S. social safety net, including barriers to take-up and retention of Medicaid and Marketplace health insurance; much of this work is conducted in direct partnership with state agencies. Dr. McIntyre’s work has been published in leading academic journals, including the New England Journal of Medicine, the Journal of the American Medical Association, and Health Affairs and has influenced state and federal coverage policy.
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All speakers share their own perspectives; they do not speak for Harvard.
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The Department of Health Policy and Management will host this event in hybrid format. If you would like to join us by Zoom, please register at the link above to receive the Zoom details and a calendar invitation. If you plan to join in person, there is no need to RSVP. Thank you!
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