Health Insurance and Mortality: Experimental Evidence from Taxpayer Outreach

Jacob Goldin, Ithai Z. Lurie and Janet McCubbin

No 26533, NBER Working Papers from National Bureau of Economic Research, Inc

Abstract: We evaluate a randomized pilot study in which the IRS sent informational letters to 3.9 million taxpayers who paid a tax penalty for lacking health insurance coverage under the Affordable Care Act. Drawing on administrative data, we study the effect of the intervention on taxpayers’ subsequent health insurance enrollment and mortality. We find the intervention led to increased coverage in the two years following treatment and that this additional coverage reduced mortality among middle-aged adults over the same time period. Our results provide the first experimental evidence that health insurance reduces mortality.

JEL-codes: H2 I12 I13 (search for similar items in EconPapers)
Date: 2019-12
New Economics Papers: this item is included in nep-exp, nep-hea and nep-ias
Note: AG EH PE
References: View references in EconPapers View complete reference list from CitEc
Citations: View citations in EconPapers (14)

Published as Jacob Goldin & Ithai Z Lurie & Janet McCubbin, 2020. "Health Insurance and Mortality: Experimental Evidence from Taxpayer Outreach," The Quarterly Journal of Economics, vol 136(1), pages 1-49.

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