Some programs primarily serve low-income families, while others, such as the EITC and CTC, reach a broader range of U.S. households<\/p>\n
Beyond traditional government benefits, a growing number of state, local, and pilot programs provide unconditional cash assistance to families during pregnancy<\/a> and early childhood<\/p>\n Examples include Rx Kids in Michigan, The Bridge Project in multiple cities, Magnolia Mother\u2019s Trust in Jackson, Mississippi, and Philly Joy Bank in Philadelphia. Most rely on philanthropic funding, although some, such as Rx Kids, also receive state support<\/p>\n Research on both the EITC and CTC shows consistent improvements in families\u2019 economic security and children\u2019s long-term outcomes. Families receiving expanded CTC payments report using the additional income for child care, health care, food, utilities, savings, and other essential needs. Studies show that the EITC:<\/p>\n Measures of health improved, and deaths among women and children fell significantly in cash transfer programs in low- and middle-income countries, international research shows. However, important differences in the U.S. context may limit the applicability of these findings. Although the U.S. evidence base on health outcomes is growing rapidly, questions remain<\/p>\n In the U.S., a randomized controlled trial of Baby\u2019s First Years found no improvements in child health or developmental outcomes from cash transfers to low-income families during the first four years of childhood. Similarly, a study of infants who automatically qualified for SSI based on low birthweight found no improvements in health or educational outcomes through young adulthood<\/p>\n In contrast, multiple studies of the expanded CTC<\/a> found small but statistically significant reductions in adverse birth outcomes, including preterm birth and low birthweight, when payments were received during pregnancy. Other research has linked the expanded CTC to short-term improvements in children\u2019s behavioral health, caregiver mental health<\/a> and well-being, time spent with children, and household food security.<\/p>\n Emerging evidence from local and pilot mother-infant cash programs also points to potential benefits, including improvements in material hardship, prenatal care use, birth outcomes, postpartum depression, child maltreatment investigations, and economic stability. However, evidence on these programs\u2019 long-term effects on children\u2019s health remains limited<\/p>\n Recent research found no increase in parental substance use among recipients. Researchers note that more work is needed to understand how best to support caregivers with substance use disorders. Studies evaluating the expanded Child Tax Credit and the Baby\u2019s First Years program found no evidence that recipients were less likely to participate in the labor force<\/p>\n Replacing proven health-promoting programs such as WIC and SNAP with cash transfers alone is not recommended. The greatest benefits are likely to come from combining cash assistance with other evidence-based supports for families<\/p>\n The brief, \u201cCash Transfers And Child Health In The US: What Is Known And What Questions Remain\u201d was published in Health Affairs on July 16, 2026 by Aditi Vasan, Meredith Matone, Jordan I. Wood, and Rebecka Rosenquist<\/p>\n Population Health<\/p>\n First Randomized Study Found Fewer Hospitalizations and Emergency Department Visits<\/p>\n July 27, 2026<\/p>\n News<\/p>\n Population Health<\/p>\n Study Used an Ecological Momentary Assessment Method to Monitor Veterans and Active Duty Personnel<\/p>\n July 21, 2026<\/p>\n Blog Post<\/p>\n Population Health<\/p>\n Kids Missed Doctor\u2019s Appointments More Often in Severe Weather<\/p>\n June 9, 2026<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":" Interest continues to grow in cash transfer programs that provide money directly to individuals and families. A recent Health Affairs policy brief examines what we know about these programs and their effects on infant and child health outcomes, where the evidence is strongest, and what policymakers should consider moving forward<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":6295,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[1],"tags":[1429,389,40,1431,1430],"class_list":["post-6290","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","category-parenting","tag-cash","tag-childrens","tag-health","tag-programs","tag-transfer"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/lumeamara.online\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/6290","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/lumeamara.online\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/lumeamara.online\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/lumeamara.online\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/lumeamara.online\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcomments&post=6290"}],"version-history":[{"count":1,"href":"https:\/\/lumeamara.online\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/6290\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":6294,"href":"https:\/\/lumeamara.online\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/6290\/revisions\/6294"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/lumeamara.online\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/media\/6295"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/lumeamara.online\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fmedia&parent=6290"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/lumeamara.online\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcategories&post=6290"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/lumeamara.online\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Ftags&post=6290"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}\n
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