Abstract
Exploiting a discontinuity in childhood Medicaid eligibility based on date of birth, we find that more years of childhood eligibility are associated with fewer hospitalizations in adulthood. For blacks, we find a 7% to 15% decrease in hospitalizations and a suggestive 2% to 5% decrease in emergency department visits, but no similar effect for nonblacks. The effects are pronounced for utilization related to chronic illnesses and for patients living in low-income postal codes. Calculations suggest that lower rates of hospitalizations during one year in adulthood for blacks offset between 2% and 4% of the initial costs of expanding Medicaid for all children.
Original language | English (US) |
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Pages (from-to) | 287-302 |
Number of pages | 16 |
Journal | Review of Economics and Statistics |
Volume | 100 |
Issue number | 2 |
DOIs | |
State | Published - May 1 2018 |
ASJC Scopus subject areas
- Social Sciences (miscellaneous)
- Economics and Econometrics