Investigators at Indiana University Report Findings in Healthcare Economics (How Much Do Outside Options Matter? the Effect of Subsidized Health Insurance On Social Security Disability Insurance Benefit Receipt)

2021 APR 12 (NewsRx) -- By a News Reporter-Staff News Editor at Health Policy and Law Daily -- Investigators publish new report on Economics - Healthcare Economics. According to news reporting out of Bloomington, Indiana, by NewsRx editors, research stated, “New government health insurance programs may affect participation in existing safety net benefits that provide health insurance as a secondary aim. We examine whether the outside options for health insurance made available by the Affordable Care Act affected Social Security Disability Insurance (DI) application decisions.”

Financial support for this research came from U.S. Social Security Administration.

Our news journalists obtained a quote from the research from Indiana University, “Using the universe of U.S. individual income tax records spanning 2007-2016, we first estimate the effect of Medicaid expansions using a state difference-in-differences identification strategy, but find small and statistically insignificant estimates. However, when we estimate the effect of being eligible for high vs. low Marketplace subsidies based on geography, we find some evidence consistent with subsidies increasing DI claiming among those with prior access to Employer Sponsored Insurance, and decreasing DI claiming otherwise.”

According to the news editors, the research concluded: “Overall, we find suggestive evidence that outside options for health insurance do matter, though magnitudes are small and results are statistically precise only for Marketplace coverage.”

This research has been peer-reviewed.

For more information on this research see: How Much Do Outside Options Matter? the Effect of Subsidized Health Insurance On Social Security Disability Insurance Benefit Receipt. Journal of Health Economics, 2021;76. Journal of Health Economics can be contacted at: Elsevier, Radarweg 29, 1043 Nx Amsterdam, Netherlands. (Elsevier - www.elsevier.com; Journal of Health Economics - http://www.journals.elsevier.com/journal-of-health-economics/)

Our news journalists report that additional information may be obtained by contacting Bradley Heim, Indiana University, ONeill Sch Publ & Environm Affairs, Bloomington, IN 47405, United States. Additional authors for this research include Kosali Simon, Ithai Lurie and Kathleen J. Mullen.

The direct object identifier (DOI) for that additional information is: https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jhealeco.2021.102437. 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.

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