Rising costs make diapers unaffordable for many families. Can Medicaid help?
Diapers are becoming less affordable for many families, pushing states to look at Medicaid for a solution.
On a sweltering afternoon in June, Angelia Victorian waited in the parking lot of a Head Start preschool in Fremont, California, with precious cargo in the trunk of her car — a box of Size 3 diapers.
Victorian, a social worker for the Alameda County Health Department for the last 16 years, was waiting to meet a young mother of two to hand her the diapers and check on the family’s well-being.
“Some families don’t have a home, so we have to meet them wherever they’re at, whether it’s at McDonald’s or Walmart in the parking lot,” said Victorian.
With rising costs, more families in California and across the U.S., especially those with very young children, are struggling to cover day-to-day expenses. Parents that Victorian works with have three major pressures:
“Housing, food and diapers, in that order,” she said.
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