Monitoring the health consequences of welfare reform

Recent changes in welfare legislation place responsibility for support of the poor on states, dramatically decrease funding, create work requirements, and impose a number of other restrictions. Many predict adverse consequences of "welfare repeal"; however, the legislation does not provide for monitoring the health consequences of these changes. This article summarizes the provisions of the Personal Responsibility and Work Opportunity Reconciliation Act, reviews initial criticism, and makes a series of suggestions for monitoring activities.