HEALTH INSURANCE AND MORTALITY: EXPERIMENTAL EVIDENCE FROM TAXPAYER OUTREACH

• 成果类型: Article
• 署名作者: Goldin, Jacob; Lurie, Ithai Z.; McCubbin, Janet
• 署名单位: Stanford University; National Bureau of Economic Research; United States Department of the Treasury
• 刊物名称: QUARTERLY JOURNAL OF ECONOMICS
• ISSN/ISSBN: 0033-5533
• DOI: 10.1093/qje/qjaa029
• 发表日期: 2021
• 页码: 1-49
• 关键词: medical-care; coverage; IMPACT; income; access; association; mandate; tax

摘要

We evaluate a randomized outreach study in which the IRS sent informational letters to 3.9 million households that paid a tax penalty for lacking health insurance coverage under the Affordable Care Act. Drawing on administrative data, we study the effect of this intervention on taxpayers' subsequent health insurance enrollment and mortality. We find the intervention led to increased coverage during the subsequent two years and reduced mortality among middle-aged adults over the same time period. The results provide experimental evidence that health insurance coverage can reduce mortality in the United States.Y