Diversion as a Work-Oriented Welfare Reform Strategy and Its Effect on Access to Medicaid: An Examination of the Experiences of Five Local Communities

Examines the emergence of diversion programs in state welfare reform and the potential for these programs to reduce access to Medicaid, finding that diversion strategies are increasingly common; diversion has substantial potential to reduce initial access to Medicaid; and the compelling policy challenge is how to use Medicaid effectively to support the welfare reform goal to promote work.