Working Paper: NBER ID: w20196
Authors: Asako S. Moriya; Kosali Simon
Abstract: We study the coverage impacts of a 65-percent health insurance premium subsidy which targeted employer-insured workers who lost their jobs between September 2008 and May 2010. Our research represents the first econometric analysis of the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act (ARRA) COBRA subsidy and contributes to a better understanding of consumer responses to government subsidized private health insurance and discussions surrounding Affordable Care Act (ACA) policies. Using data from the Survey of Income and Program Participation (SIPP) and a difference-in-differences estimation strategy, we find that the subsidy is associated with a substantial increase in own-name employer coverage among the targeted group. We estimate a -0.38 to -0.27 price elasticity of demand for health insurance, depending on the specification. This suggests that consumers are somewhat more price sensitive than previously thought, although there are caveats to generalizing from past settings to individuals affected by ACA subsidies. We also find that part of the increase in subsidized coverage was offset by a decrease in unsubsidized non-group insurance.
Keywords: health insurance; premium subsidies; ARRA; takeup; employer coverage
JEL Codes: I13; J64
Edges that are evidenced by causal inference methods are in orange, and the rest are in light blue.
| Cause | Effect |
|---|---|
| 65% premium subsidy (I18) | health insurance takeup (G52) |
| 65% premium subsidy (I18) | own-name employer coverage (J54) |
| health insurance takeup (G52) | reduction in uninsurance (G52) |
| 65% premium subsidy (I18) | decrease in unsubsidized nongroup insurance (G52) |