Community health changes under welfare reform

This comparative case study examined changes in community health under New Jersey welfare reform policy implementation (1994-2001). The boundaries of these case descriptions were directed by Milii's ecological framework for policy studies. The separate cases consist of descriptions of changes in social climate and health indicators within Camden, Essex, and Hudson counties in New Jersey. Data analysis revealed a greater public health challenge in these counties than the state as a whole. A large increase in the numbers of low income and uninsured in the population may begin in 2004, 2 years following the 5-year lifetime limit of the receipt of welfare benefits. A growing uninsured population would place additional burdens on the abilities of safety net providers to meet health care needs of vulnerable populations. If left unchanged, these wider effects of the New Jersey welfare reform policy would have negative implications for improving quality of care.