During the first two years of the COVID-19 pandemic, the City of Chelsea, Massachusetts held a lottery to allocate monthly cash benefits to its residents. Using data from the Chelsea Eats program, the investigators propose to study the impact of the cash benefit on health care spending.
Study Type
INTERVENTIONAL
Allocation
RANDOMIZED
Purpose
TREATMENT
Masking
TRIPLE
Enrollment
3,615
Spending from the cards was not restricted to food but could be spent on anything and anywhere Visa was accepted. The debit cards were credited with the first payment on November 18th, 2020 and the second payment on December 18th, 2020. The program continued with monthly credits through August 2021.
No monthly cash benefit.
Brigham and Women's Hospital / Harvard Medical School
Boston, Massachusetts, United States
Harvard University
Cambridge, Massachusetts, United States
University of Michigan
Ann Arbor, Michigan, United States
Health care spending for medical services
Total payments to providers for medical services
Time frame: 9 months
Health care spending in acute care setting
Total payments to providers for medical services in the acute care setting
Time frame: 9 months
Health care spending in outpatient setting
Total payments to providers for medical services in outpatient setting
Time frame: 9 months
Health care spending for prescription drugs
Total payments for prescription services
Time frame: 9 months
This platform is for informational purposes only and does not constitute medical advice. Always consult a qualified healthcare professional.