Principal Investigator
Co-Principal Investigator
Despite the link between income and health, few interventions to reduce health disparities have provided financial services directly targeting the needs of families living in poverty to improve health. The Earned Income Tax Credit (EITC), a tax credit for low-income, working families and the most effective anti-poverty policy in the US, improves maternal mental health and infant birth outcomes. However, over 20% of eligible families do not claim the credit—and most who do fall prey to for-profit tax preparers, resulting in $1.75 billion lost in fees. The investigators will implement and evaluate a service intervention to promote health and health equity by increasing financial stability in the highest poverty neighborhoods in Boston. They will partner with the Epiphany School to provide free tax preparation and financial capabilities services and examine the impact of such services on receipt of the EITC, family financial stability, and health.
Publications
Alexander, S. P., Kim, I. C., Hatcher, C., Suh, H. S., Ha, Y., & Marcil, L. E. (2022). Embedding Financial Services in Frequented, Trusted Settings: Building on Families’ Pre-existing Economic Mobility Efforts. Journal of Developmental & Behavioral Pediatrics, 10-1097.
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