Safety-Net Program Spillovers and Administrative Burden

The US social safety net is a complicated patchwork involving both multiple program participation and incomplete take-up. We document geographic patterns of participation in the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP) and child Medicaid, explore the extent to which SNAP and Medicaid participation are linked, and examine whether policies meant to reduce administrative burden are associated with these patterns. We find evidence of spillovers between the two programs that are correlated with state policy choices. Our results highlight potential weaknesses of examining safety-net programs in isolation and suggest that policies to reduce administrative burden can facilitate connections across programs.