Amanda Spishak‑Thomas

Peer-Reviewed Journal Articles

• Spishak-Thomas, A., Sandoe, E., Howard, H. (2026). Understanding Medicaid Estate Recovery: The Experience of North Carolina and Policy Implications for Future Reforms. Health Services Research. 61(3). https://doi.org/10.1111/1475-6773.70141 [PDF]
• Spishak-Thomas, A., Eliason, E.L. (2026). Barriers and Needs for Postpartum Contraception. Maternal and Child Health, 30, 681-691. https://doi.org/10.1007/s10995-026-04265-0 [PDF]
• Spishak-Thomas, A. (2026). The Association of Medicaid Estate Recovery with Homeownership, Home Equity, and Medicaid Enrollment. The Milbank Quarterly, 104(3). https://doi.org/10.1111/1468-0009.70087 [PDF]
• Spishak-Thomas, A., Sandoe, E., Howard, H. (2026). Lots of Pain for Little Gain: Three Decades of Medicaid Estate Recovery. Journal of Health Politics, Policy and Law, 51(3). https://doi.org/10.1215/03616878-12166749 [PDF]
• Spishak-Thomas, A., Slopen, M., Daw, J., Liu, C., Underhill, K., Allen, H. (2025). Time to Recover and Bond: The Relationship Between State PFL Policies and Postpartum Leave Taking. Social Service Review, 99(3). https://doi.org/10.1086/736406 [PDF]
• McGovern, M.E., Treglia, D., Eliason, E.L., Spishak-Thomas, A., Cantor, J.C. (2024). Homelessness and Maternal and Infant Health. JAMA Network Open, 7(11). https://doi.org/10.1001/jamanetworkopen.2024.42596 [PDF]
• Allen, H., Spishak-Thomas, A., Underhill, K., Liu, C., Daw, J. (2024). When the Bough Breaks: The Financial Burden of Childbirth and Postpartum Care by Insurance Type. The Milbank Quarterly. https://doi.org/10.1111/1468-0009.12721 [PDF]
• Spishak-Thomas, A. (2024). Medicaid enrollment and intergenerational transfers of wealth among older adults. The Gerontologist, 64(7). https://doi.org/10.1093/geront/gnae074 [PDF]
• Eliason, E.L., Spishak-Thomas, A., Steenland, M. (2022). Association of the Affordable Care Act Medicaid expansions with postpartum contraceptive use and early postpartum pregnancy. Contraception, 113, 42-48. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.contraception.2022.02.012 [PDF]
• Kaplan, D. B., Silverstone, B., Chan, K., Spishak-Thomas, A., Herman, C., Zlotnik, J. L. (2022). NASW's Supervisory Leaders in Aging: One-year practice change outcomes of an innovative training program for social work supervisors. Gerontology and Geriatrics Education, 44(3), 364-379. https://doi.org/10.1080/02701960.2022.2028260 [PDF]

Policy Reports and Blogs

• Spishak-Thomas, A., Oh, A. (2025). Analysis of the Children's Health Insurance Program (CHIP) Continuous Coverage Provision to Examine Enrollment and Access to Care and Quality. Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services. [PDF]
• Spishak-Thomas, A., Oh, A. "Covering Uninsured Children: State Solutions for Immigrant Children." Milbank Memorial Fund. September 15, 2025. [Link]

Under Review

• Cantor, J.C., Farnham, J., Palatucci, J., Spishak-Thomas, A., Agrawal, M., Chakravarty, S., Lloyd, K., Pizzi, L. Prioli, K.M., Nasiri, M. "Examining the Effect of the NJ FamilyCare Comprehensive Demonstration on Access to Care, Quality, and Cost of Care: Summative Evaluation Report"

Invited and Peer-Reviewed Presentations

• Spishak-Thomas, A., Greenhalgh-Stanley, N. The Association of Medicaid Estate Recovery with Homeownership and Medicaid Enrollment. Poster Presentation. AcademyHealth Annual Research Meeting, Minneapolis, MN, 2025.
• Spishak-Thomas, A., Eliason, E.L. Barriers and Needs for Postpartum Contraception during COVID-19: A Mixed Methods Study. Association for Public Policy Analysis and Management, National Harbor, MD, 2024.
• Spishak-Thomas, A., Sandoe, E., Howard, H. Understanding Medicaid Estate Recovery: The Experience of North Carolina and Policy Implications for Future Reforms. Poster Presentation. AcademyHealth Annual Research Meeting, Baltimore, MD, 2024.
• Spishak-Thomas, A. Medicaid Enrollment and Intergenerational Transfers of Wealth among Older Adults. Poster Presentation. Population Association of America, Columbus, OH, 2024.
• Spishak-Thomas, A., Slopen, M., Allen, H., Daw, J., Underhill, K. The Role of State PFML Policies in Determining Length and Composition of Parental Leave. Society for Social Work and Research, Washington, D.C., 2024.
• Allen, H., Spishak-Thomas, A., Liu, C., Underhill, K., Daw, J. When the Bough Breaks: Financial Burdens in the Postpartum Period by Insurance Type. AcademyHealth Annual Research Meeting, Seattle, WA, 2023.
• Spishak-Thomas, A., Toppenberg, L., Sonsteng-Person, M., Lob, S., Bonilla, P. Can't Fight Poverty in Poverty: Organizing for Equity in Social Work. Roundtable. Society for Social Work and Research, Phoenix, AZ, 2023.
• Spishak-Thomas, A., Grave Robbers: Medicaid Estate Recovery and Wealth Disparities in Intergenerational Financial Health. Association for Public Policy Analysis and Management, Washington, D.C., 2022.
• Spishak-Thomas, A., Allen, H. The Association of the Medicaid Estate Recovery Program with Homeownership. Association for Public Policy Analysis and Management, Austin, TX, 2022.
• Eliason, E.L., Spishak-Thomas, A. Impacts of the Affordable Care Act Medicaid Expansions on Closely Spaced Pregnancies and Postpartum Contraceptive Use. Association for Public Policy Analysis and Management, Austin, TX, 2022.
• Eliason, E.L., Spishak-Thomas, A. Association Between Affordable Care Act Medicaid Expansions and Breastfeeding among Low-Income Women. Poster Presentation. American Public Health Association Annual Meeting, 2021 (online).
• Spishak-Thomas, A., Aivadyan, C. 'So many disincentives to take care of ourselves': A Photovoice study on graduate student workers' health care experiences. Poster Presentation. Society for Social Work and Research, San Francisco, CA, 2021 (online).
• Spishak-Thomas, A., Slopen, M. Making Work Pay (the Rent): Does the Earned Income Tax Credit Affect Housing Mobility among Low Income Workers. Association for Public Policy Analysis and Management, Washington, D.C., 2020 (online).
• Kaplan, D. B., Silverstone, B., Chan, K., Spishak-Thomas, A. NASW's Supervisory Leaders in Aging: One-year Practice Change Outcomes of an Innovative Training Program for Social Work Supervisors. Gerontological Society of America, Philadelphia, PA, 2020 (online).
• Allen, H., Zhang, Y., Eliason, E.L., Spishak-Thomas, A., Frankel, C. Adverse Childhood Experiences and their Relationship with Depression among Adults in a Low-Income Uninsured Population. Society for Social Work and Research, Washington, D.C., 2020.
• Price E., Garg M., Spishak-Thomas A., Crevensten H., Ranji, S. "Doctor, Your Patient Wants to Leave": Navigating Elopement Risk in Patients Who Lack Decision Making Capacity. Workshop at Society of Hospital Medicine National Meeting, Orlando, FL, 2018.