Disability Insurance Income Saves Lives

• 成果类型: Article
• 署名作者: Gelber, Alexander; Moore, Timothy; Pei, Zhuan; Strand, Alexander
• 署名单位: University of California System; University of California San Diego; National Bureau of Economic Research; Purdue University System; Purdue University; Cornell University; IZA Institute Labor Economics
• 刊物名称: JOURNAL OF POLITICAL ECONOMY
• ISSN/ISSBN: 0022-3808
• DOI: 10.1086/725172
• 发表日期: 2023
• 页码: 3156-3185
• 关键词: regression-discontinuity; HEALTH; mortality; earnings; IMPACT; childhood; medicaid; pensions; payments; PROGRAMS

摘要

We show that higher payments from US Social Security Disability Insurance (DI) reduce mortality. Using administrative data on new DI beneficiaries, we exploit discontinuities in the benefit formula through a regression kink design. We estimate that $1,000 more in annual DI payments decreases the annual mortality rate of lower-income beneficiaries by approximately 0.18-0.35 percentage points, implying an elasticity of mortality with respect to DI income of around -0.6 to -1.0. We find no robust evidence of an effect of DI income on the mortality of higher-income beneficiaries.