How do primary care patients use cash transfers to improve their health?

A qualitative pilot study in a Philadelphia clinic by LDI Fellows suggests that cash payments can have a range of positive impacts on health behaviors among patients with chronic diseases.

Four Conditions Make Cash Transfers Save Lives The success of other countries shows these programs can work in the United States.

NEW: In @theatlantic.com, LDI Fellows Aaron Richterman (@draaron.bsky.social) and Harsha Thirumurthy (@hthirumurthy.bsky.social) share four ways to design cash transfer programs that can reduce poverty and improve health in the U.S.

Read more here:
www.theatlantic.com/health/2026/...

Cash Transfer Programs Can Help Health Outcomes Using data from 37 low- and middle-income countries, the research provides evidence that these programs substantially reduce mortality rates population-wide.

NEW: Our latest brief covers research from LDI Senior Fellows @draaron.bsky.social @hthirumurthy.bsky.social and Jere Behrman that provides the first population-level evidence that cash transfer programs substantially reduce mortality.

Read more here:
https://bit.ly/47gpGkl

Four Conditions Make Cash Transfers Save Lives The success of other countries shows these programs can work in the United States.

Four Conditions Make Cash Transfers Save Lives
The success of other countries shows these programs can work in the United States
www.theatlantic.com/health/2026/...

Four Conditions Make Cash Transfers Save Lives The success of other countries shows these programs can work in the United States.

Most cash-transfer programs have failed to produce health gains in the U.S.—except for SNAP, Aaron Richterman and Harsha Thirumurthy argue.

They examine the conditions that make SNAP work, and how it may provide a road map for other programs:

Four Conditions Make Cash Transfers Save Lives The success of other countries shows these programs can work in the United States.

Why does cash save lives in Tanzania but barely move the needly in Texas? New piece in @theatlantic.com with @hthirumurthy.bsky.social:

We break down the conditions that make cash transfers improve health, and why SNAP gets closets to what works globally.

www.theatlantic.com/health/2026/...

LDI Research Shapes Pennsylvania Tax Credit Working Pennsylvanians Tax Credit (WPTC) offers a tax benefit to low-income workers.

From research to policy impact 📊➡️🏛️

In 2024, LDI Fellows Aditi Vasan, @draaron.bsky.social & George Dalembert briefed PA lawmakers & Gov. Shapiro's office on the health benefits of tax credits—helping shape the new Working Pennsylvanians Tax Credit, recently signed into law.
https://bit.ly/4qvTQb8

Payments to Physician Practices and Incentives to Serve Different Racial and Ethnic Groups This study measures disparities across patient racial and ethnic groups in per-visit payment to physician practices from health insurers and other sources, adjusted for visit content, geographic marke...

🚨New Paper🚨 US doctors are paid very different amounts for treating different patients—even when providing identical services.

How much less are physicians paid for treating non-White patients?

In @jamahealthforum.com, we offer the 1st national estimates. (1/7)

jamanetwork.com/journals/jam...

Funding cuts threaten people in Philly living with HIV Organizations that provide services like HIV education and living recommendations are being forced to cut programming after funding cuts

Philadelphia is at risk of losing vital support for people living with HIV as funding cuts ripple through programs that address not just treatment but education, housing, and food security.

Check out this piece from Billy Penn on what’s at stake ➝ billypenn.com/2025/11/18/h...

New research finds that cash transfers may help overcome poverty-related barriers & improve perinatal HIV outcomes in Haiti ft. @draaron.bsky.social, Sindy Desire, Florence Momplaisir (@pennidfellows.bsky.social) & @hthirumurthy.bsky.social (@pennmehp.bsky.social) link.springer.com/article/10.1...

New in @thelancet.com: a follow-up to our @nature.com paper on cash transfers and mortality in low- and middle-income countries.

This studies explores *why* cash transfers reduce death, tracing effects on determinants of survival.

free access 🔗: kwnsfk27.r.eu-west-1.awstrack.me/L0/https:%2F...

Thanks! Thats a great idea.

@hthirumurthy.bsky.social @pennidfellows.bsky.social @pennmehp.bsky.social @pennmedicine.bsky.social @madhupai.bsky.social

This paper builds on years of work with collaborators at @pennldi.bsky.social and @pih.org, and was supported by NICHD.

Read the full @thelancet.com study at this free 🔗: kwnsfk27.r.eu-west-1.awstrack.me/L0/https:%2F...

Together, these findings clarify how cash transfers save lives in LMICs. As countries debate scaling back or redesigning social protection programs, the health impacts should be central to the discussion.

We also saw evidence of a dose-response:

The strongest effects tended to occur in countries where cash transfers reached more people.

When we linked some of these determinants to subsequent child mortality data, they explained 63% of the previously observed mortality reduction.

and (4) improved child health outcomes:
• -6pp diarrheal illness
• -2pp underweight (–2 pp)
• +0.8/1000 male twin livebirths — a marker of improved fetal environment

(3) healthier caregiver behaviors:
• +14 pp exclusive breastfeeding
• +7 pp minimum acceptable diet
• +5 pp measles vaccination coverage

(2) reproductive empowerment:
• +2.5 mo longer interdelivery intervals
• +2 pp desired pregnancies
• -10 pp unmet need for contraception

Cash transfer programs were associated with (1) improvements in crucial drivers of maternal/newborn survival:
• +5 pp early antenatal care
• +7 pp facility deliveries
• +8 pp deliveries by skilled birth attendants

Using data from >2M births & nearly 1M children across 37 countries (2000–2019), we linked national cash transfer programs to 17 health-related outcomes.

We used a two-stage difference-in-differences design (Gardner) to estimate program effects, and adjusted for multiple comparisons.

The effects of cash transfers on adult and child mortality in low- and middle-income countries - Nature A survey of mortality data from low- and middle-income countries shows that government-led cash transfer programmes are associated with decreased mortality among women and children under five years of...

Poverty drives many preventable deaths. Over 100 LMICs now use government-led cash transfer programs.

In our 2023 @nature.com study, we showed these programs *substantially reduced mortality among women and young children*

www.nature.com/articles/s41...

But how do they work? 👇

New in @thelancet.com: a follow-up to our @nature.com paper on cash transfers and mortality in low- and middle-income countries.

This studies explores *why* cash transfers reduce death, tracing effects on determinants of survival.

free access 🔗: kwnsfk27.r.eu-west-1.awstrack.me/L0/https:%2F...

#Haiti #HIV #Pregnancy #CashTransfers

@louiseisainmdom.bsky.social @healthequityintl.bsky.social @pennldi.bsky.social @pennmedcso.bsky.social @pennmedresearch.bsky.social @pennmedicine.bsky.social

Money, Medicine, and Motherhood: Developing a Cash Transfer for Pregnant Women with HIV in Rural Haiti - AIDS and Behavior Improving perinatal engagement in HIV care is critical to prevent disease progression and transmission. In Haiti and other low-resource settings, poverty contributes substantially to poor perinatal HI...

This study was conducted under extraordinarily difficult conditions in Haiti. Deep gratitude and congratulations to our incredible partners at St. Boniface Hospital and Health Equity International.

link.springer.com/article/10.1...

The heart of this paper lies in the participants’ voices:

“What can affect me taking them is the problem of not having the means… you know how life is right now. No money. Although things are like this, even when I don’t have food, I still try to take the medicine.”

Targeted poverty alleviation during pregnancy could address many of these barriers. Participants shared thoughtful perspectives on what such support might look like in practice, and raised importance concerns like the need the sure discreet, confidential delivery.

Women in our study were deeply committed to their own health and their babies’ health, yet faced profound challenges from poverty, food insecurity, and stigma.

Money, Medicine, and Motherhood: Developing a Cash Transfer for Pregnant Women with HIV in Rural Haiti - AIDS and Behavior Improving perinatal engagement in HIV care is critical to prevent disease progression and transmission. In Haiti and other low-resource settings, poverty contributes substantially to poor perinatal HI...

Within a few years after giving birth, many women with HIV fall out of care. In our new paper from rural Haiti, we explore why this happens—and what might help prevent it

link.springer.com/article/10.1...