Income, the Earned Income Tax Credit, and Infant Health

• 成果类型: Article
• 署名作者: Hoynes, Hilary; Miller, Doug; Simon, David
• 署名单位: University of California System; University of California Berkeley; National Bureau of Economic Research; University of California System; University of California Davis; University of Connecticut
• 刊物名称: AMERICAN ECONOMIC JOURNAL-ECONOMIC POLICY
• ISSN/ISSBN: 1945-7731
• DOI: 10.1257/pol.20120179
• 发表日期: 2015
• 页码: 172-211
• 关键词: prenatal-care; birth-weight; IMPACT; welfare; EITC; PARTICIPATION; childhood; mortality; education; marriage

摘要

This paper uses quasi-experimental variation from federal tax reform to evaluate the effect of the EITC on infant health outcomes. We find that the EITC reduces the incidence of low birth weight and increases mean birth weight: a $1,000 treatment-on-the-treated leads to a 2 to 3 percent decline in low birth weight. Our results suggest that the candidate mechanisms include more prenatal care and less negative health behaviors (smoking). Additionally, we find a shift from public to private insurance coverage, and for some a reduction in insurance overall, indicating a potential change in the quality and perhaps quantity of coverage.