Children's access to four medical services: Impact of welfare policies, social structural factors, and family resources

This study applied a behavioral model to explain children's access to four medical services—visiting a physician, visiting a dentist, using a prescription, and staying in a hospital. The samples were taken from respondents from a national panel data set, Survey of Income and Program Participation (SIPP). This study included 15,275 child–mother pairs for analysis and a subsample of 1301 pairs of mothers who were former or current Temporary Assistance to Needy Family (TANF) recipients for further analysis. The results showed that welfare policies, family income, health insurance, and race/ethnicity were significant predictors, controlling children's health status, prior access, social demographics, and their mothers' access and education. Participation in TANF did not affect children's access to the medical services.