Reducing Administrative Barriers Increases Take-Up of Subsidized Health Insurance Coverage: Evidence from a Field Experiment
通过马萨诸塞州平价医疗法案市场的随机对照试验，发现简化参保流程（勾选选项）使参保率提高10.5%，效果优于个性化提醒信（7.6%）和通用提醒信（4.3%），且集中在零保费计划合格者中。
Abstract Administrative barriers to social insurance program take-up are pervasive, including in subsidized health insurance. We conducted a randomized controlled trial with Massachusetts' Affordable Care Act marketplace to reduce these barriers and other behavioral frictions. We find that a “check the box” streamlined enrollment intervention raises enrollment by 10.5%, more than personalized reminder letters (7.6% increase) or generic reminder letters (4.3% increase). Effects are concentrated among individuals eligible for zero-premium plans, who faced no further administrative burdens of setting up payments. Producing this enrollment effect through premium reduction would cost about $7 million in subsidies, highlighting the importance of these burdens.