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OpenTrials
Active, Not Recruiting

NCT Number: NCT07381049

Effect of Cash Benefits on Health Care Spending

During the first two years of the COVID-19 pandemic, the City of Chelsea, Massachusetts held a lottery to allocate monthly cash benefits to its residents. Using data from the Chelsea Eats program, the investigators propose to study the impact of the cash benefit on health care spending.

Active, Not Recruiting

This study is active but is not currently recruiting participants.

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Key information

Conditions

Health Care Costs Behavior Health Behavior Health Care Utilization Patient Acceptance of Health Care Treatment Adherence and Compliance

Sex eligibility

All sexes

Study type

Interventional

Phase

Not applicable

Primary location

Brigham and Women's Hospital / Harvard Medical School, Boston, Massachusetts, United States

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Who can participate

Healthy volunteers accepted: Yes

Only the study team can determine whether someone qualifies for participation.

Inclusion criteria

  • Resident of Chelsea, Massachusetts
  • Household income at or below 30% of the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development's Area Median Income

Exclusion criteria

  • See inclusion criteria

Treatment and study plan

Cash Benefit

Other

Spending from the cards was not restricted to food but could be spent on anything and anywhere Visa was accepted. The debit cards were credited with the first payment on November 18th, 2020 and the second payment on December 18th, 2020. The program continued with monthly credits through August 2021.

Other names: Cash Transfer, Debit Card, Guaranteed Income

No Cash Benefit

Other

No monthly cash benefit.

Primary outcomes

  1. Health care spending for medical services

    Time frame: 9 months

    Total payments to providers for medical services

Secondary outcomes

  1. Health care spending in acute care setting

    Time frame: 9 months

    Total payments to providers for medical services in the acute care setting

  2. Health care spending in outpatient setting

    Time frame: 9 months

    Total payments to providers for medical services in outpatient setting

  3. Health care spending for prescription drugs

    Time frame: 9 months

    Total payments for prescription services

Sponsors and collaborators

Lead sponsor

Harvard Medical School (HMS and HSDM)

Other

Collaborators

  • Brigham and Women's Hospital
  • Harvard University
  • University of Michigan

Registry information

Important dates

Study start
2020
Primary completion
2021
Study completion
2026
First posted
Feb 2, 2026
Registry last updated
Feb 5, 2026

OpenTrials presents study information sourced from ClinicalTrials.gov. The official registry record should be consulted for the latest information.

View the official ClinicalTrials.gov record (opens in a new tab)

This listing is for discovery and informational purposes only. It is not medical advice, does not guarantee that a study is recruiting, and does not determine eligibility. Contact the study team and a qualified healthcare professional when considering participation.

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