Author Archives: Marian Jarlenski and Sara N. Bleich

About Marian Jarlenski and Sara N. Bleich

Marian Jarlenski, PhD, MPH, is an Assistant Professor in the Department of Health Policy and Management in the University of Pittsburgh Graduate School of Public Health. Her research seeks to advance knowledge about how health policies affect access to care, clinical practice, and health behaviors that ultimately affect maternal and child health outcomes. Current work focuses on how health policies can be optimized to improve the health of women who use substances in the perinatal period. Dr. Jarlenski is an expert in Medicaid policy and is interested in the politics of health policy. She earned a PhD from the Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health, an MPH from the Yale School of Public Health, and a BA from Otterbein College.

The new push for work requirements in Medicaid and SNAP: Implications for children and families

By | May 21, 2018
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In a recent letter to state Medicaid directors, officials at the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS) encouraged states to implement work requirements in Medicaid, writing that “a growing body of evidence suggests that targeting certain health determinants, including productive work and community engagement, may improve health outcomes.” In response, 10 Republican-led states have… Read More »

Smoking in America: Medicaid, Quitting, and Income

By | November 20, 2017
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Over the last few decades, cigarette smoking has become a health burden concentrated primarily among low-income individuals in the U.S. In our recently published research study, Medicaid coverage expansions and cigarette smoking cessation among low-income adults, we sought to determine the relationship between recent expansions of Medicaid coverage and smoking cessation for low-income adults. Demographics… Read More »

The Political Context of Medicaid Expansion

By | December 8, 2020
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Republican Congressional leaders are currently debating how to repeal the Affordable Care Act (ACA) as part of the budget reconciliation process. Much of the debate over the ACA has focused on the individual mandate (and here) and the affordability (here and here) of coverage in the state-based marketplaces. The House version of the legislation, however,… Read More »