Quantifying the Benefits of Social Insurance: Unemployment Insurance and Health / Elira Kuka.

Format:

Book

Author/Creator:

Kuka, Elira.

Contributor:

National Bureau of Economic Research.

Series:

Working Paper Series (National Bureau of Economic Research) no. w24766.

NBER working paper series no. w24766

Language:

English

Physical Description:

1 online resource: illustrations (black and white);

Other Title:

Quantifying the Benefits of Social Insurance

Place of Publication:

Cambridge, Mass. National Bureau of Economic Research 2018.

Summary:

While the Unemployment Insurance (UI) program is one of the largest safety net program in the U.S., 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 higher UI generosity increases health insurance coverage and utilization, and leads to improved self-reported health. Moreover, these effects are stronger during periods of high unemployment rates. Finally, I find no effects on risky behaviors nor on health conditions.

Notes:

Print version record

June 2018.