News

A recent study by PSU's Center for Public Health Policy, based in the College of Urban and Public Affairs' School of Community Health, found that 40 percent of adults and 22 percent of children are without health insurance within 18 months of leaving welfare for the workforce.

The statewide study collected information about health and access to health care in Oregon from a random sample of families who had left Temporary Assistance for Needy Families (TANF), a federal program that provides cash assistance to low-income families with children who are striving to become self-sufficient.

Many of those families lost eligibility for the Oregon Health Plan because they earned amounts just slightly over the program threshold. However, no health benefits were offered through their employer, and they could not afford to purchase them on their own. That often translated into postponing health and dental care or filling prescriptions. Survey respondents rated access to health care as the most important TANF benefit, even above cash payments.