A new study out of Columbia University’s Mailman School of Public Health reports that the EITC could have an impact on life expectancy among low-income Americans. Findings from the new study published in the American Journal of Preventative Medicine also show that the EITC may be more cost-effective than many other health interventions. Researchers analyzed data from the 1993-2010 Behavioral Risk Factor Surveillance System surveys and state-level life expectancy in order to determine the cost-effectiveness of state EITC supplements and used a “microsimulation” model to determine the government costs and recipient benefits. According to Peter Muennig, MD, MPH, associate professor of Health Policy and Management at the Mailman School of Public Health:
While randomized controlled trials of EITC supplements are critical to provide further evidence that EITC influences health, this study suggests that relatively small investments in EITC might not only reduce poverty but be a much more cost-effective preventive intervention than treatment of hypertension, high cholesterol, or even HIV screening and treatment in high risk populations.