Cash benefits reduced emergency department visits, suggesting policies to alleviate poverty could improve health, a recent study found.
The study, published July 22 by JAMA, included 2,880 individuals from Chelsea, Mass., a low-income community. Of those who applied, 1,746 were randomly assigned cash benefits – up to $400 per month for nine months, via debit card – from November 2020 through August 2021.
The group who received the benefits had 217.1 emergency department visits per 1,000 people during the intervention period, compared with 317.5 visits among the control group.
The cash benefits group made 21.6 fewer visits (per 1,000 people) related to behavioral health and 12.8 fewer visits related to substance use.
The benefits had no significant effect on primary care visits, but it did coincide with an increase in outpatient subspecialty visits, researchers found.
The mean annual family income of participants was $16,709. Recipients spent an average of $335 per month, which represented a 23% increase in monthly income on average, according to the study.