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Funding employer-based insurance: regressive taxation and premium exclusions

Author

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  • Zhigang Feng

    (University of Nebraska-Omaha
    Zhongnan University of Economics and Law)

  • Anne Villamil

    (University of Iowa)

Abstract

In the US, health insurance is linked to employment. The tax code treats health insurance premiums preferentially for employers, but not individuals. We show that this regressive policy reduces talent mis-allocation in two ways: (i) The larger tax benefit to those with higher health risk and managerial talent, conditional on being entrepreneurs, alters the incentive to be an entrepreneur. (ii) This enlarges the tax base, which reduces the effective tax rate, and increases wage and capital income. Our general equilibrium model with heterogeneous agents shows that the subsidy can increase welfare, with a maximum gain of 0.46% in consumption equivalent variation.

Suggested Citation

  • Zhigang Feng & Anne Villamil, 2022. "Funding employer-based insurance: regressive taxation and premium exclusions," Economic Theory, Springer;Society for the Advancement of Economic Theory (SAET), vol. 73(2), pages 509-540, April.
    • Handle: RePEc:spr:joecth:v:73:y:2022:i:2:d:10.1007_s00199-021-01368-3
    DOI: 10.1007/s00199-021-01368-3
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    Cited by:

    1. Siew Ling Yew & Jie Zhang, 2023. "Health Externalities to Productivity and Efficient Health Subsidies," CAMA Working Papers 2023-31, Centre for Applied Macroeconomic Analysis, Crawford School of Public Policy, The Australian National University.
    2. Zhigang Feng, 2024. "Macroeconomic consequences of alternative reforms to the health insurance system in the United States," International Studies of Economics, John Wiley & Sons, vol. 19(1), pages 6-34, March.
    3. Rabah Amir & Bernard Cornet & M. Ali Khan & David Levine & Edward C. Prescott, 2022. "Special Issue in honor of Nicholas C. Yannelis – Part II," Economic Theory, Springer;Society for the Advancement of Economic Theory (SAET), vol. 73(2), pages 377-385, April.

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    More about this item

    Keywords

    Employer-based health insurance; Entrepreneurship; Regressive tax; Imperfect information; Mis-allocation;
    All these keywords.

    JEL classification:

    • E23 - Macroeconomics and Monetary Economics - - Consumption, Saving, Production, Employment, and Investment - - - Production
    • I10 - Health, Education, and Welfare - - Health - - - General
    • O40 - Economic Development, Innovation, Technological Change, and Growth - - Economic Growth and Aggregate Productivity - - - General

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