Quantifying the Benefits of Social Insurance: Unemployment Insurance and Health
利用美国各州失业保险法变化，研究失业保险慷慨度能否缓解失业对健康的负面影响，发现高慷慨度能增加健康保险覆盖和利用，并在高失业期改善自评健康。
While the unemployment insurance (UI) program is one of the largest safety net programs in the United States, research on its benefits is limited. This paper exploits plausibly exogenous changes in state UI laws to empirically estimate whether UI generosity mitigates any of the previously documented negative health effects of job loss. The results show that higher UI generosity increases health insurance coverage and utilization, with stronger effects during periods of high unemployment rates. During such periods, higher UI generosity also leads to improved self-reported health. Finally, I find no effects on risky behaviors or health conditions.