Ohio Family Coverage Coalition

Parent Coverage and Maternal Depression

            In 1999, the General Assembly standardized Medicaid eligibility for parents at 100% of the federal poverty level.  It did so because it recognized the importance of health coverage for low-income working families and in order to simplify the eligibility formula, which had been extremely complicated.

            Many benefits of expanded parent coverage are well documented: the ability to achieve economic stability, even in jobs without health benefits; increased productivity, reduced absenteeism and turnover among employees; lower uncompensated care burdens for providers; and benefits to communities from increased Medicaid spending, which supports local economies and provides jobs. The increased likelihood that children will have coverage if parents are covered is well documented.

An additional benefit from parent coverage, documented recently, indicates a direct benefit to the health status of children from covering parents. Several recent studies[1] have addressed the issue of maternal depression and its impact on the behavioral health of children in the home. This research finds that the children of depressed mothers are at greater risk of depression and other behavioral disorders than children in the normal population; and to the extent that these mothers’ depression goes untreated, their children’s problems are exacerbated.

            Mothers – and in particular low-income mothers -- are much less likely to receive treatment for their depression if they are not covered by health insurance, and for low-income mothers, that insurance is most likely Medicaid.  All observers would agree that it is virtually impossible to secure mental health services without some form of third-party payment available.  Most community mental health centers have gone to a Medicaid focused delivery system out of necessity. Thus, without Medicaid, untreated depression among mothers living in poverty, puts their children at great risk.

For more information, contact Ohio Family Coverage, c/o Col Owens, 513-362-2841, cowens@lascinti.org; Cathy Levine, 614-253-4340, clevine@uhcanohio.org.