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Does Increased Access to Health Insurance Impact Claims for Workers' Compensation? Evidence from Massachusetts Health Care Reform

Author

Listed:
  • Erin Todd Bronchetti

    (Swarthmore College)

  • Melissa McInerney

    (Tufts University)

Abstract

We study over 20 million emergency room (ER) discharges in Massachusetts and three comparison states to estimate the impact of Massachusetts health care reform on claims for Workers’ Compensation (WC). Prior evidence on the relationship between health insurance and WC claiming behavior is mixed. We find that the reform caused a significant decrease in the number of per-capita ER discharges billed to WC. This result is driven by larger decreases in WC discharges for conditions for which there is greater scope to change the payer or the location of care. Conversely, we estimate smaller impacts for weekend versus weekday admissions and for wounds compared to musculoskeletal injuries. Our findings are consistent with the reform lowering WC medical costs for employers/insurers, primarily by inducing injured workers to seek care at less costly sites. The results suggest much smaller impacts on the propensity to bill WC for a given injury.

Suggested Citation

  • Erin Todd Bronchetti & Melissa McInerney, 2017. "Does Increased Access to Health Insurance Impact Claims for Workers' Compensation? Evidence from Massachusetts Health Care Reform," Upjohn Working Papers 17-277, W.E. Upjohn Institute for Employment Research.
    • Handle: RePEc:upj:weupjo:17-277
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    Cited by:

    1. Rahi Abouk & Keshar M. Ghimire & Johanna Catherine Maclean & David Powell, 2023. "Pain Management and Work Capacity: Evidence From Workers’ Compensation and Marijuana Legalization," Journal of Policy Analysis and Management, John Wiley & Sons, Ltd., vol. 42(3), pages 737-770, June.
    2. Marcus Dillender, 2021. "Climate Change and Occupational Health: Are There Limits to Our Ability to Adapt?," Journal of Human Resources, University of Wisconsin Press, vol. 56(1), pages 184-224.
    3. Marika Cabral & Marcus Dillender, 2024. "The Impact of Benefit Generosity on Workers' Compensation Claims: Evidence and Implications," American Economic Journal: Applied Economics, American Economic Association, vol. 16(3), pages 436-481, July.
    4. Paul Heaton & Caleb Flint, 2021. "Medicaid coverage expansions and liability insurance," Journal of Risk & Insurance, The American Risk and Insurance Association, vol. 88(1), pages 29-51, March.
    5. Marika Cabral & Can Cui & Michael Dworsky, 2019. "The Demand for Insurance and Rationale for a Mandate: Evidence from Workers’ Compensation Insurance," NBER Working Papers 26103, National Bureau of Economic Research, Inc.

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    More about this item

    Keywords

    Workers’ compensation; health insurance; claiming behavior;
    All these keywords.

    JEL classification:

    • I11 - Health, Education, and Welfare - - Health - - - Analysis of Health Care Markets
    • I13 - Health, Education, and Welfare - - Health - - - Health Insurance, Public and Private
    • J32 - Labor and Demographic Economics - - Wages, Compensation, and Labor Costs - - - Nonwage Labor Costs and Benefits; Retirement Plans; Private Pensions

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