The Value of Health Insurance: A Household Job Search Approach

Gabriella Conti and Rita Ginja

No 2018_18, Working Papers, Department of Economics from University of São Paulo (FEA-USP)

Abstract: Do households value access to free health insurance when making labor supply decisions? We answer this question using the introduction of universal health insurance in Mexico, the Seguro Popular (SP), in 2002. The SP targeted individuals not covered by Social Security and broke the link between access to health care and job contract. We start by using the rollout of SP across municipalities in a differences-indifferences approach, and find an increase in informality of 4% among low-educated families with children. We then develop and estimate a household search model that incorporates the pre-reform valuation of formal sector amenities relative to the alternatives (informal sector and non-employment) and the value of SP. The estimated value of the health insurance coverage provided by SP is below the government’s cost of the program, and the corresponding utility gain is, at most, 0.56 per each peso spent.

Keywords: Search; Household behavior; Health insurance; Informality; Unemployment (search for similar items in EconPapers)
JEL-codes: D10 I13 J46 J64 (search for similar items in EconPapers)
Date: 2018-11-12
New Economics Papers: this item is included in nep-dev, nep-ias and nep-lab
References: View references in EconPapers View complete reference list from CitEc
Citations: View citations in EconPapers (6)

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Related works:
Working Paper: The Value of Health Insurance: A Household Job Search Approach (2018)
Working Paper: The Value of Health Insurance: A Household Job Search Approach (2018)
Working Paper: The value of health insurance: a household job search approach (2018)
Working Paper: The Value of Health Insurance: A Household Job Search Approach (2018)
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