Employment separation and health insurance coverage

• 成果类型: Article
• 署名作者: Gruber, J; Madrian, BC
• 署名单位: Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT); University of Chicago; National Bureau of Economic Research
• 刊物名称: JOURNAL OF PUBLIC ECONOMICS
• ISSN/ISSBN: 0047-2727
• DOI: 10.1016/S0047-2727(96)01621-0
• 发表日期: 1997
• 页码: 349-382
• 关键词: unemployment; SEPARATION; health insurance job search

摘要

We study the interrelationship between employment separation and insurance coverage. We first document that employment separation is associated with large reductions in insurance coverage, even conditioning on underlying tastes for insurance. We then show that reducing the cost of insurance through state laws mandating continued access to employer-provided health insurance for the non-employed increases the likelihood of having insurance after separating from a job by 6.7%. These mandates also increase the number of individuals who separate and the total amount of time spent jobless. Finally, at least some of this increased non-employment appears to be spent in productive job search as the availability of continuation coverage is related to significant wage gains among those who separate from their jobs. (C) 1997 Elsevier Science S.A.