The relationship between work and health: findings from a literature review

The relationship between work and health: findings from a literature review

Collection:
Health Policy and Services Research
Series Title(s):
Issue brief (Henry J. Kaiser Family Foundation)
Author(s):
Antonisse, Larisa, author
Garfield, Rachel, author
Contributor(s):
Henry J. Kaiser Family Foundation, issuing body.
Publication:
San Francisco, CA : Henry J. Kaiser Family Foundation, August 2018
Language(s):
English
Format:
Text
Subject(s):
Eligibility Determination
Employment
Health Status
Insurance Coverage
Medicaid
Volunteers
Causality
Disease
Health Status Disparities
Mental Disorders
Social Determinants of Health
Social Welfare
Humans
United States
Genre(s):
Review
Technical Report
Abstract:
A central question in the current debate over work requirements in Medicaid is whether such policies promote health and are therefore within the goals of the Medicaid program. Work requirements in welfare programs in the past have had different goals of strengthening self-esteem and providing a ladder to economic progress, versus improving health. This brief examines literature on the relationship between work and health and analyzes the implications of this research in the context of Medicaid work requirements. We review literature cited in policy documents, as well as additional studies identified through a search of academic papers and policy evaluation reports, focusing primarily on systematic reviews and meta-analyses. Key findings include the following: (1) Being in poor health is associated with increased risk of job loss, while access to affordable health insurance has a positive effect on people's ability to obtain and maintain employment. (2) There is limited evidence on the effect of employment on health, with some studies showing a positive effect of work on health yet others showing no relationship or isolated effects. There is strong evidence of an association between unemployment and poorer health outcomes, but authors caution against using these findings to infer that the opposite relationship (work causing improved health) exists. While unemployment is almost universally a negative experience and thus linked to poor outcomes, especially poor mental health outcomes, employment may be positive or negative, depending on the nature of the job (e.g., stability, stress, hours, pay, etc.). Further, most studies note major limitations in our ability to draw broad conclusions on health and work, including: (a) Job availability and quality are important modifiers in how work affects health; transition from unemployment to poor quality or unstable employment options can be detrimental to health. (b) Selection bias in the research (e.g., healthy people being more likely to work) and other methodological limitations restrict the ability to determine a causal work-health relationship. (3) Studies note several caveats to and implications of the research on work and health that are particularly relevant to work requirements in Medicaid. For example: (a) The work-health relationship may differ for the Medicaid population compared to the broader populations studied in the literature, as Medicaid enrollees report worse health than the general population and face significant challenges related to social determinants of health. (b) Limited job availability or poor job quality may moderate or reverse any positive effects of work. (c) Work or volunteering to fulfill a requirement may produce different health effects than work or volunteer activities studied in existing literature. (d) Loss of Medicaid coverage under work requirements could negatively impact health care access and outcomes, as well as exacerbate health disparities.
Copyright:
Reproduced with permission of the copyright holder. Further use of the material is subject to CC BY license. (More information)
Extent:
1 online resource (1 PDF file (17 pages)).
NLM Unique ID:
101740317 (See catalog record)
Permanent Link:
http://resource.nlm.nih.gov/101740317