American Economic Journal:
Applied Economics
ISSN 1945-7782 (Print) | ISSN 1945-7790 (Online)
The Impact of Insurance Expansions on the Already Insured: The Affordable Care Act and Medicare
American Economic Journal: Applied Economics
vol. 12,
no. 4, October 2020
(pp. 288–318)
Abstract
Some states have not adopted the Affordable Care Act (ACA) Medicaid expansions due to concerns that the expansions may impair access to care and utilization for those who are already insured. We investigate such negative spillovers using a large panel of Medicare beneficiaries. Across many subgroups and outcomes, we find no evidence that the expansions reduced utilization among Medicare beneficiaries and can rule out all but very small changes in utilization or spending. These results indicate that the expansions in Medicaid did not impair access to care or utilization for the Medicare population.Citation
Carey, Colleen M., Sarah Miller, and Laura R. Wherry. 2020. "The Impact of Insurance Expansions on the Already Insured: The Affordable Care Act and Medicare." American Economic Journal: Applied Economics 12 (4): 288–318. DOI: 10.1257/app.20190176Additional Materials
JEL Classification
- G22 Insurance; Insurance Companies; Actuarial Studies
- H51 National Government Expenditures and Health
- I13 Health Insurance, Public and Private
- I18 Health: Government Policy; Regulation; Public Health
- I38 Welfare, Well-Being, and Poverty: Government Programs; Provision and Effects of Welfare Programs