Marital status, spousal coverage, and the gender gap in employer-sponsored health insurance.
Not only do men who work full time earn more than women, but they are more likely to receive employer-sponsored health benefits. This paper provides evidence on the gender gap in employer-sponsored health insurance. The results indicate that the gap is driven largely by the tendency of married women to decline employer-sponsored insurance in favor of being covered through their husbands. Indeed, among single workers, women are more likely than men to be offered insurance. These findings call into question the conclusion made by previous researchers that employers discriminate against women in the provision of health insurance.
Buchmueller
T C
TC
Graduate School of Management, University of California, Irvine 92697-3125, USA.
D000293:Adolescent; D000328:Adult; D002321:Career Choice; D005260:Female; D006264:Health Benefit Plans, Employee / Q000706:statistics & numerical data*; D006801:Humans; D019458:Insurance Coverage / Q000706:statistics & numerical data*; D015273:Insurance Selection Bias; D008297:Male; D017533:Marital Status / Q000706:statistics & numerical data; D008875:Middle Aged; D015233:Models, Statistical; D011287:Prejudice; D012044:Regression Analysis; D012847:Single Person / Q000706:statistics & numerical data; D014481:United States