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The Effects of the Affordable Care Act on Health Insurance Coverage and Labor Market Outcomes

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  • Mark Duggan
  • Gopi Shah Goda
  • Emilie Jackson

Abstract

The Affordable Care Act (ACA) includes several provisions designed to expand health insurance coverage that also alter the tie between employment and health insurance. In this paper, we exploit variation across geographic areas in the potential impact of the ACA to estimate its effect on health insurance and labor market outcomes in its first four years. Our findings indicate that approximately 70 percent of the increase in health insurance coverage since 2013 is due to the ACA. We also find that these increases in health insurance coverage did not result in statistically significant changes in labor market outcomes.

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  • Mark Duggan & Gopi Shah Goda & Emilie Jackson, 2019. "The Effects of the Affordable Care Act on Health Insurance Coverage and Labor Market Outcomes," National Tax Journal, National Tax Association;National Tax Journal, vol. 72(2), pages 261-322, June.
    • Handle: RePEc:ntj:journl:v:72:y:2019:i:2:p:261-322
    DOI: 10.17310/ntj.2019.2.01
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    More about this item

    JEL classification:

    • H31 - Public Economics - - Fiscal Policies and Behavior of Economic Agents - - - Household
    • H51 - Public Economics - - National Government Expenditures and Related Policies - - - Government Expenditures and Health
    • J18 - Labor and Demographic Economics - - Demographic Economics - - - Public Policy
    • J20 - Labor and Demographic Economics - - Demand and Supply of Labor - - - General
    • J38 - Labor and Demographic Economics - - Wages, Compensation, and Labor Costs - - - Public Policy

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