Full Citation

Title: The Effect of the ACA Medicaid Expansion on Marriage Behavior

Citation Type: Working Paper

Publication Year: 2019

ISBN:

ISSN: 1556-5068

DOI: 10.2139/ssrn.3450609

NSFID:

PMCID:

PMID:

Abstract: This paper investigates the impact of the 2014 Medicaid expansions on marital behavior. The Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act (ACA) encouraged states to expand Medicaid and thereby reduce the number of uninsured individuals. We test whether the Medicaid expansions led to a decrease in marriage and an increase in divorce in expansion states. We add to earlier work on how marital behavior is influenced by the availability of insurance options outside of spousal coverage. Using data from the Current Population Survey from 2010 to 2018 and estimating difference-indifferences models, we find evidence that individuals living in states that expanded their Medicaid programs in 2014 were 2.13 percent less likely to be married and 3.82 percent more likely to be divorced, with the effects being larger for low-educated people. We believe the effect to be a combination of a decrease in reliance on spousal health insurance coverage and a response to incentives of meeting eligibility restrictions to qualify for Medicaid.

Url: https://ssrn.com/abstract=3450609

Url: https://www.ssrn.com/abstract=3450609

User Submitted?: No

Authors: Hampton, Matt; Lenhart, Otto

Series Title:

Publication Number:

Institution:

Pages:

Publisher Location:

Data Collections: IPUMS CPS

Topics: Family and Marriage, Health

Countries: United States