Skip to main content
NCBI home page
Public Health Reports logoLink to Public Health Reports
. 1999 Nov-Dec;114(6):540–549. doi: 10.1093/phr/114.6.540

Welfare reform: advocacy and intervention in the health care setting.

E Lawton 1, K Leiter 1, J Todd 1, L Smith 1
PMCID: PMC1308538  PMID: 10670622

Abstract

Welfare reform has drastically altered the lives of poor families in the US. In its wake, many former recipients are not receiving whatever transitional benefits and other safeguards to which they remain entitled under federal and state laws. Families are losing access to Medicaid and are not receiving the child care assistance or Food Stamps for which they continue to be eligible. Ill-served by stringent time limits and work requirements, lack of child care assistance, and lack of training and educational opportunities for the development of skills that will lead to better jobs, families need help to navigate the complexities of the new welfare system. Boston Medical Center's Department of Pediatrics has instituted a welfare screening project to educate families about their rights under welfare reform and assist them in advocating for themselves and their children.

Full text

PDF
540

Selected References

These references are in PubMed. This may not be the complete list of references from this article.

  1. Aber J. L., Bennett N. G., Conley D. C., Li J. The effects of poverty on child health and development. Annu Rev Public Health. 1997;18:463–483. doi: 10.1146/annurev.publhealth.18.1.463. [DOI] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  2. Ellwood M. R., Ku L. Welfare and immigration reforms: unintended side effects for Medicaid. Health Aff (Millwood) 1998 May-Jun;17(3):137–151. doi: 10.1377/hlthaff.17.3.137. [DOI] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  3. Geltman P. L., Meyers A. F., Greenberg J., Zuckerman B. Welfare reform and children's health. Arch Pediatr Adolesc Med. 1996 Apr;150(4):384–389. doi: 10.1001/archpedi.1996.02170290050008. [DOI] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  4. Marmot M. G. Improvement of social environment to improve health. Lancet. 1998 Jan 3;351(9095):57–60. doi: 10.1016/S0140-6736(97)08084-7. [DOI] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  5. Parker S., Greer S., Zuckerman B. Double jeopardy: the impact of poverty on early child development. Pediatr Clin North Am. 1988 Dec;35(6):1227–1240. doi: 10.1016/s0031-3955(16)36580-4. [DOI] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  6. Platts-Mills T. A., Woodfolk J. A. Rise in asthma cases. Science. 1997 Nov 7;278(5340):1001–1001. doi: 10.1126/science.278.5340.997c. [DOI] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  7. Sears M. R. Epidemiology of childhood asthma. Lancet. 1997 Oct 4;350(9083):1015–1020. doi: 10.1016/S0140-6736(97)01468-2. [DOI] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  8. Wilkinson R. G. Income distribution and life expectancy. BMJ. 1992 Jan 18;304(6820):165–168. doi: 10.1136/bmj.304.6820.165. [DOI] [PMC free article] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]

Articles from Public Health Reports are provided here courtesy of SAGE Publications

RESOURCES