How the Minimum Wage Affects the Health Insurance Coverage, Safety Net Program Participation, and Health of Low-Wage Workers and Their Families

In this brief, we describe the characteristics of minimum-wage workers, discuss the potential pathways through which the minimum wage may affect the health of workers and their families, and review recent empirical studies in this area. Our key findings are as follows:Minimum-wage workers were younger, more likely to be women, more likely to have lower educational attainment, and more likely to be Hispanic than all other workers.Evidence suggests minimum-wage increases are associated with declines in smoking prevalence and the number of days with health limitations among low-wage workers and lower prevalence of low birth weight among such workers’ newborns. Moreover, recent evidence suggests minimum-wage increases reduce rates of mortality due to suicides, alcohol, or drugs and are associated with improved parent-reported health among young children.