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Evaluating Alcohol Exclusion Provisions in Health Insurance: Evidence from the Uniform Accident and Sickness Policy Provision Laws

Author

Listed:
  • Yörük, Baris

    (University at Albany, SUNY)

  • Sabia, Joseph J.

    (San Diego State University)

  • Dave, Dhaval M.

    (Bentley University)

Abstract

Alcohol exclusion provisions, embedded in the Uniform Accident and Sickness Policy Provision Law (UPPL), allow health insurance providers to punish alcohol consumption by permitting them to deny claims for injuries stemming from alcohol impairment or the use of non-prescribed narcotics. Although the UPPLs were originally proposed to discourage excessive drinking and substance use, there is no clear evidence to either support or refute that these laws achieved their intended purpose. Furthermore, few studies document that these laws may have unintended consequences, as they create a disincentive for physicians to test the blood alcohol concentration (BAC) levels of injured patients due to concerns about potential insurance reimbursement denials. We provide a comprehensive analysis of the UPPLs by investigating their impact on alcohol consumption at the intensive and extensive margin, drunk driving behavior, alcohol-related traffic fatalities, alcohol-related crime, and health insurance coverage rates and premiums.

Suggested Citation

  • Yörük, Baris & Sabia, Joseph J. & Dave, Dhaval M., 2024. "Evaluating Alcohol Exclusion Provisions in Health Insurance: Evidence from the Uniform Accident and Sickness Policy Provision Laws," IZA Discussion Papers 17546, Institute of Labor Economics (IZA).
    • Handle: RePEc:iza:izadps:dp17546
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    References listed on IDEAS

    as
    1. Kosali Simon & Aparna Soni & John Cawley, 2017. "The Impact of Health Insurance on Preventive Care and Health Behaviors: Evidence from the First Two Years of the ACA Medicaid Expansions," Journal of Policy Analysis and Management, John Wiley & Sons, Ltd., vol. 36(2), pages 390-417, March.
    2. Elyse R. Grossman & Sara E. Benjamin-Neelon & Susan Sonnenschein, 2020. "Alcohol Consumption during the COVID-19 Pandemic: A Cross-Sectional Survey of US Adults," IJERPH, MDPI, vol. 17(24), pages 1-10, December.
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    4. Marianne Bertrand & Esther Duflo & Sendhil Mullainathan, 2004. "How Much Should We Trust Differences-In-Differences Estimates?," The Quarterly Journal of Economics, President and Fellows of Harvard College, vol. 119(1), pages 249-275.
    5. Ehrlich, Isaac & Becker, Gary S, 1972. "Market Insurance, Self-Insurance, and Self-Protection," Journal of Political Economy, University of Chicago Press, vol. 80(4), pages 623-648, July-Aug..
    6. Sun, Liyang & Abraham, Sarah, 2021. "Estimating dynamic treatment effects in event studies with heterogeneous treatment effects," Journal of Econometrics, Elsevier, vol. 225(2), pages 175-199.
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    More about this item

    Keywords

    alcohol exclusion provisions; Uniform Accident and Sickness Policy Provision Law; alcohol consumption; alcohol consumption related outcomes;
    All these keywords.

    JEL classification:

    • I10 - Health, Education, and Welfare - - Health - - - General
    • I18 - Health, Education, and Welfare - - Health - - - Government Policy; Regulation; Public Health

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