State Suspension vs. Termination of Medicaid on Recidivism Outcomes

Abstract

This paper seeks to explore the relationship between Medicaid and recidivism through the lens of states suspending versus terminating Medicaid enrollment while an individual is incarcerated. Looking at post-ACA data from 2015, 2017, and 2018, and using a staggered difference-in-difference design, I find that suspension, rather than termination, reduces recidivism when interacted with Medicaid enrollment on a broad scale and among certain populations, including White non-Hispanics, individuals above 25 years old, and males. These findings suggest that policymakers should support more local operations, such as pre-release programs connecting individuals with Medicaid, in conjunction with suspending Medicaid on a statewide basis