Including health insurance in poverty measurement: The impact of Massachusetts health reform on poverty

Sanders D. Korenman and Dahlia K. Remler

Journal of Health Economics, 2016, vol. 50, issue C, 27-35

Abstract: We develop and implement what we believe is the first conceptually valid health-inclusive poverty measure (HIPM) – a measure that includes health care or insurance in the poverty needs threshold and health insurance benefits in family resources – and we discuss its limitations. Building on the Census Bureau's Supplemental Poverty Measure, we construct a pilot HIPM for the under-65 population under ACA-like health reform in Massachusetts. This pilot demonstrates the practicality, face validity and value of a HIPM. Results suggest that public health insurance benefits and premium subsidies accounted for a substantial, one-third reduction in the health inclusive poverty rate.

Keywords: Poverty measurement; Health insurance; Affordable Care Act; Health reform; Poverty (search for similar items in EconPapers)
JEL-codes: I13 I32 (search for similar items in EconPapers)
Date: 2016
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Citations: View citations in EconPapers (10)

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Persistent link: https://EconPapers.repec.org/RePEc:eee:jhecon:v:50:y:2016:i:c:p:27-35

DOI: 10.1016/j.jhealeco.2016.09.002

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