It is important to note, however, that my results differ in an important way from the evidence
typically reported in the crowd out literature. The welfare reform legislation affected
immigrant participation in a vast array of public assistance programs, not just Medicaid.
For example, PRWORA also restricted immigrant receipt of cash benefits and food stamps.
The crowd out effects documented in this paper, therefore, measure the total immigrant response
to a generalized cutback in public assistance, rather than the immigrant response to
eligibility changes in the Medicaid program.