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The Effect of Medicaid on Crime: Evidence from the Oregon Health Insurance Experiment

Author

Listed:
  • Amy Finkelstein
  • Sarah Miller
  • Katherine Baicker

Abstract

Those involved with the criminal justice system have disproportionately high rates of mental illness and substance use disorders, prompting speculation that health insurance, by improving treatment of these conditions, could reduce crime. Using the 2008 Oregon Health Insurance Experiment, which randomly made some low-income adults eligible to apply for Medicaid, we find no statistically significant impact of Medicaid coverage on criminal charges or convictions. These null effects persist for high-risk subgroups, such as those with prior criminal cases and convictions or mental health conditions. In the full sample, our confidence intervals can rule out most quasi-experimental estimates of Medicaid's crime-reducing impact.

Suggested Citation

  • Amy Finkelstein & Sarah Miller & Katherine Baicker, 2024. "The Effect of Medicaid on Crime: Evidence from the Oregon Health Insurance Experiment," NBER Working Papers 33244, National Bureau of Economic Research, Inc.
    • Handle: RePEc:nbr:nberwo:33244
    Note: EH PE
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    More about this item

    JEL classification:

    • I10 - Health, Education, and Welfare - - Health - - - General
    • I13 - Health, Education, and Welfare - - Health - - - Health Insurance, Public and Private
    • K42 - Law and Economics - - Legal Procedure, the Legal System, and Illegal Behavior - - - Illegal Behavior and the Enforcement of Law

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