Medicaid and Diaper Banks

Half of caregivers of children under four experience diaper insecurity.

Diapers cost $80-100/month for one baby (National Diaper Bank Network (NDBN) 2023a).

Forty-seven percent of households with a child under four experience diaper insecurity (NDBN 2023b). Among households with diaper insecurity:

• 66% are low-income (200% of the federal poverty line and lower)
• 42% have a full-time working caregiver
• 46% cut back on other spending to afford diapers

Of MO diaper bank recipients, 87% of children are insured by Medicaid and 7% are uninsured (Table 1; MO Diaper Banks 2023).

Table 1. Household characteristics of MO diaper bank recipients. Data is based on 813 MO diaper bank recipients. Percentages show the percentage of families reporting each circumstance. Data from MO Diaper Banks (2023).

Diaper access has mental, economic, and health effects.

Families with diaper insecurity that received free diapers were happier and had more money for non-diaper costs (Massengale et al. 2017).

• Caregivers and children felt happier.
• Children were healthier.
• Children could go to school/daycare.
• Caregivers could go to work/school.
• Caregivers could pay medical and nonmedical bills and afford food.

Families receiving diapers from MO diaper banks reported that their children had fewer cases of diaper rash and urinary tract infection (MO Diaper Banks 2023). These families also reported fewer visits to a pediatrician or hospital for diaper-related issues.

One study shows mothers experiencing diaper insecurity had greater symptoms of depression than mothers who did not (Austin & Smith 2017).

Two states cover diapers through Medicaid.

Under a Medicaid waiver, TN and DE cover diapers for Medicaid beneficiaries until 2030 and 2028, respectively.

• TN Medicaid covers 100 diapers/month per child under two years old.
• DE Medicaid covers 80 diapers/week and one pack of baby wipes/week for the first 12 weeks of the postpartum period.

Under the federal Early and Periodic Screening Diagnostic and Treatment program, children covered by Medicaid can receive incontinence supplies such as diapers when medically necessary (Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services 2014).

To learn more about access, health outcomes, and state policy related to diapers, read our Science Note Diaper Access.

References

Austin AE, Smith MV (2017) Examining material hardship in mothers: associations of diaper need and food insufficiency with maternal depressive symptoms. Health Equity, 1(1): 127-133. https://pmc.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/articles/PMC5657130/.

Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (2024a) TennCare III Approval. https://www.medicaid.gov/medicaid/section-1115-demonstrations/downloads/tn-tenncare-iii-demo-aprvl-amndmnt-5.pdf.

Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (2024b) Diamond State Health Plan Extension Approval. https://www.medicaid.gov/medicaid/section-1115-demonstrations/downloads/de-dshp-dmntn-appvl-05172024.pdf.

Massengale KEC, Erausquin JT, Old M (2017) Health, social, and economic outcomes experienced by families as a result of receiving assistance from a community-based diaper bank. Maternal and Child Health Journal, 21: 1985-1994. https://link.springer.com/article/10.1007/s10995-017-2317-9.

MO Diaper Banks (2023) Diaper Need and Its Impact. https://modiaperbanks.org/wp-content/uploads/2023/09/Missouri_NDBN-Diaper-Need-and-Its-Impact_0723.pdf.

National Diaper Bank Network (2023a) The NDBN Diaper Check 2023: Diaper Insecurity among U.S. Children and Families. https://nationaldiaperbanknetwork.org/wp-content/uploads/2023/06/NDBN-Diaper-Check-2023_Executive-Summary-FINAL.pdf.

National Diaper Bank Network (2023b) Fast Facts on #DiaperNeed. Link.