Working Paper: NBER ID: w26533
Authors: Jacob Goldin; Ithai Z Lurie; Janet McCubbin
Abstract: We evaluate a randomized pilot study in which the IRS sent informational letters to 3.9 million taxpayers who paid a tax penalty for lacking health insurance coverage under the Affordable Care Act. Drawing on administrative data, we study the effect of the intervention on taxpayers’ subsequent health insurance enrollment and mortality. We find the intervention led to increased coverage in the two years following treatment and that this additional coverage reduced mortality among middle-aged adults over the same time period. Our results provide the first experimental evidence that health insurance reduces mortality.
Keywords: Health Insurance; Mortality; Taxpayer Outreach; Affordable Care Act
JEL Codes: H21; I12; I13
Edges that are evidenced by causal inference methods are in orange, and the rest are in light blue.
| Cause | Effect |
|---|---|
| health insurance enrollment (I13) | health outcomes (I14) |
| taxpayer outreach (H26) | health insurance enrollment (I13) |
| health insurance enrollment (I13) | mortality (I12) |
| taxpayer outreach (H26) | mortality (I12) |