Paid family leave and reduced acute respiratory infections in young infants: does everyone benefit equally?

To examine whether the effect of a paid family leave program on acute care encounters for respiratory tract infections among young infants differed by subgroups. We examined 52 943 hospitalizations and emergency department visits between October 2015 and February 2020 among infants aged ≤8 weeks in New York, which introduced paid family leave in January 2018, and four New England control states (Massachusetts, New Hampshire, Vermont, and Maine). We conducted a controlled time series analysis that compared observed counts in New York during the putative respiratory virus season (October to March) in each population subgroup to those predicted in the absence of the policy. Absolute reductions in respiratory tract infection-related acute care encounters among young infants were greater for Hispanic as compared to non-Hispanic White infants (5.60 fewer cases per 1000 infants [95% CI, -8.74 to -2.51]) and for encounters paid for by Medicaid as compared to private payer (4.22 fewer cases per 1000 [95% CI, -6.45 to -2.18]). Findings by Child Opportunity Index 2.0 quintiles showed no clear pattern. Our findings suggest the program may have larger benefits for infants from less advantaged groups.