Working Paper: NBER ID: w17310
Authors: Janet Currie; Erdal Tekin
Abstract: We investigate the relationship between foreclosures and hospital visits using data on all foreclosures and all hospital and emergency room visits from four states that were among the hardest hit by the foreclosure crisis. We find that living in a neighborhood with a spike in foreclosures is associated with significant increases in urgent unscheduled visits, including increases in visits for preventable conditions. The estimated relationships cannot be accounted for by increasing unemployment, declines in housing prices, migration, or by people switching from out-patient providers to hospitals.
Keywords: foreclosure; health; hospital visits; public health; economic distress
JEL Codes: I12
Edges that are evidenced by causal inference methods are in orange, and the rest are in light blue.
| Cause | Effect |
|---|---|
| foreclosures (G21) | urgent hospital visits (I19) |
| foreclosures (G21) | preventable hospital visits (I11) |
| unemployment (J64) | urgent hospital visits (I19) |
| housing prices (R31) | urgent hospital visits (I19) |
| demographic changes (J11) | urgent hospital visits (I19) |
| financial distress (G33) | health deterioration (I12) |
| foreclosures (G21) | emergency services usage (I11) |