Data from University of Louisville Advance Knowledge in Economics (Did the Affordable Care Act Increase the Availability of Employer-sponsored Health Insurance?): Economics

Health Policy and Law Daily

2021 DEC 10 (NewsRx) -- By a News Reporter-Staff News Editor at Health Policy and Law Daily -- Data detailed on Economics have been presented. According to news reporting originating in Louisville, Kentucky, by NewsRx editors, the research stated, “The 2010 Affordable Care Act (ACA) included two provisions, the Employer Shared Responsibility Provision (the ‘employer mandate’) and the Small Business Health Options Program (‘SHOP’), aimed at increasing the availability of employer-sponsored health insurance (ESI) among workers at small firms. To examine whether these provisions led to greater ESI availability, I use 2011-2017 Medical Expenditure Panel Survey (MEPS) data in a difference-in-difference framework that compares changes in ESI availability among workers at small and large firms before and after the ACA’s provisions come into effect.”

The news reporters obtained a quote from the research from the University of Louisville, “My estimates show that there is a 3.5 percentage point increase in ESI availability among workers at smaller firms after 2013. When focusing on workers most likely to be affected by the employer mandate, I find a larger 5.2 percentage point increase in ESI availability, amounting to a 39% decline in the proportion who do not have ESI available. However, I find no evidence that greater ESI availability led to increases in ESI coverage rates. Instead, descriptive estimates suggest that gains in health insurance coverage after 2013 consist of significant increases in the number of working adults who report having Medicaid coverage, including among workers who are offered ESI. I use MEPS data for my analysis because, along with employment, firm size, and health insurance details, MEPS also provides health status and healthcare access/utilization information.”

According to the news reporters, the research concluded: “Looking at changes in these health measures, I find only limited evidence to suggest that the ACA’s provisions improved access to care or measures of health status for workers.”

This research has been peer-reviewed.

For more information on this research see: Did the Affordable Care Act Increase the Availability of Employer-sponsored Health Insurance? Southern Economic Journal, 2021. Southern Economic Journal can be contacted at: Wiley, 111 River St, Hoboken 07030-5774, NJ, USA.

Our news correspondents report that additional information may be obtained by contacting Conor Lennon, University of Louisville, Dept. of Economics, Louisville, KY 40292, United States.

The direct object identifier (DOI) for that additional information is: https://doi.org/10.1002/soej.12543. This DOI is a link to an online electronic document that is either free or for purchase, and can be your direct source for a journal article and its citation.