Long-Term Impacts of Childhood Medicaid Expansions on Outcomes in Adulthood

David W Brown, Amanda Kowalski and Ithai Z Lurie

The Review of Economic Studies, 2020, vol. 87, issue 2, 792-821

Abstract: We use administrative data from the Internal Revenue Service to examine long-term impacts of childhood Medicaid eligibility expansions on outcomes in adulthood at each age from 19 to 28. Greater Medicaid eligibility increases college enrolment and decreases fertility, especially through age 21. Starting at age 23, females have higher contemporaneous wage income, although male increases are imprecise. Together, both genders have lower mortality. These adults collect less from the earned income tax credit and pay more in taxes. Cumulatively from ages 19 to 28, at a 3% discount rate, the federal government recoups 58 cents of each dollar of its “investment” in childhood Medicaid.

Keywords: Health insurance; Effects of public programs (search for similar items in EconPapers)
JEL-codes: H75 I13 I18 I21 I38 J13 (search for similar items in EconPapers)
Date: 2020
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Citations: View citations in EconPapers (29)

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Persistent link: https://EconPapers.repec.org/RePEc:oup:restud:v:87:y:2020:i:2:p:792-821.

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