Medicaid and the Political Marginalization of the Poor

In the wake of the Great Recession, an unprecedented number of Americans have turned to the government for help meeting their medical needs. Medicaid, the federal-state health program for low-income populations, has thus taken on increasing significance. As this program continues to expand, scholars face the task of assessing its myriad repercussions in the lives of the poor. Among the many ways one might evaluate Medicaid, one largely neglected concern is its ramifications for democratic governance.

In previous work examining data from the Fragile Families and Child Well Being Study, political scientist Jamila Michener found that Medicaid utilization is correlated with a decreased likelihood of voting, registering to vote and participating more generally. She also found that beneficiaries’ political responses to program experiences were highly heterogeneous and variability in such responses was often correlated with institutional, social and political contexts that affected how beneficiaries obtained and used program services. Building on her previous findings, Michener will analyze Medicaid’s implications for political life in disadvantaged communities. In particular, she will focus on explaining the processes that influence the political lives of Medicaid beneficiaries, including an in-depth analysis of the national elite discourse around Medicaid, and variability in state Medicaid policies.