The effect of the Affordable Care Act Medicaid expansion on marriage
利用2008-2019年美国社区调查数据,采用双重差分模型,发现医疗补助扩展使婚姻存量减少0.95%、离婚存量增加2.22%,对低教育群体影响更大,机制包括减少对配偶保险的依赖和规避资格限制。
Abstract This paper investigates the impact of the Affordable Care Act Medicaid expansions on marital behavior. We use data from the American Community Survey from 2008 to 2019 and estimate difference‐in‐differences models to test for effects on marriage and divorce outcomes. We find that expansions led to a 0.95% reduction in marriage stock and a 2.22% increase in divorce stock, with effects being larger among low educated individuals. We believe that two factors play a role as underlying mechanisms: (1) reduced reliance on spousal insurance coverage and (2) deciding to forego marriage or get divorced to meet eligibility restrictions.