SNAP work requirements increase mental health care use.

Area of Science:

• Public Health
• Health Services Research
• Health Economics

Background:

• Work requirements are a common policy tool for social assistance programs.
• Understanding the health impacts of these requirements is crucial for policy evaluation.
• Previous research has not fully examined the effects on mental health service utilization.

Purpose of the Study:

• To measure the impact of Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP) work requirements on mental health care utilization.
• To assess changes in the probability and frequency of visits for depression and anxiety.

Main Methods:

• Utilized a 2015-2018 West Virginia Medicaid and SNAP dataset.
• Employed an event study framework to compare treatment (work requirement exposure) and control groups.
• Analyzed data for individuals aged 18-49 enrolled in both SNAP and Medicaid.

Main Results:

• Exposure to SNAP work requirements was associated with increased healthcare use for mood disorders and anxiety.
• The probability of mood disorder visits rose by 0.9 pp in women and 0.7 pp in men.
• Anxiety visit probability increased by 1.0 pp in women and 1.0 pp in men, with a more gradual effect observed in men.

Conclusions:

• SNAP work requirements are linked to increased mental health care utilization for mood disorders and anxiety.
• The policy's impact on mental health service use varied between genders.
• Findings highlight the need to consider mental health consequences when implementing work requirements.