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Document Type

Article

Abstract

This paper analyzes how the Affordable Care Act (ACA) Dependent Coverage Provision affected insurance coverage in the Midwestern region. The Dependent Coverage Provision allows individuals ages 19 to 25 to remain as dependents on parental health insurance plans. This provision was implemented to decrease the number of young adults who were uninsured. Using data from the American Community Survey spanning the years 2008-2013 and estimating difference-in-differences models, I test the impact of the policy implementation on health insurance coverage among a sample of Midwestern young adults. Under my preferred specification, which includes two-way fixed effects and controls for observable characteristics, I find that the policy led to a 5.63 percent increase in insurance coverage among young adults in the region. In an analysis of policy heterogeneity, I find that the Dependent Coverage Provision had the largest impact among Black males that were unemployed, a subgroup that likely had difficulty acquiring appropriate health insurance prior to the ACA. This study indicates that the Dependent Coverage Provision was effective in increasing the number of insured individuals.

Publication Date

Spring 2021

Journal Title

Major Themes in Economics

Volume

23

Issue

1

First Page

1

Last Page

18

Copyright

©2021 by Major Themes in Economics

Language

en

File Format

application/pdf

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