The incidence of mandated maternity benefits.
I consider the labor-market effects of mandates which raise the costs of employing a demographically identifiable group. The efficiency of these policies will be largely dependent on the extent to which their costs are shifted to group-specific wages. I study several state and federal mandates which stipulated that childbirth be covered comprehensively in health insurance plans, raising the relative cost of insuring women of childbearing age. I find substantial shifting of the costs of these mandates to the wages of the targeted group. Correspondingly, I find little effect on total labor input for that group.
Department of Economics, Massachusetts Institute of Technology, Cambridge 02139.
J
J
Gruber
D000328:Adult; D003361:Cost Allocation / Q000639:trends; D003625:Data Collection; D017049:Employer Health Costs / Q000706:statistics & numerical data; D005260:Female; D006264:Health Benefit Plans, Employee / Q000191:economics / Q000331:legislation & jurisprudence* / Q000706:statistics & numerical data; D006302:Health Services Research; D006801:Humans; D007342:Insurance Benefits / Q000331:legislation & jurisprudence / Q000706:statistics & numerical data; D008427:Maternal Health Services / Q000191:economics* / Q000331:legislation & jurisprudence / Q000706:statistics & numerical data; D011247:Pregnancy; D012044:Regression Analysis; D012456:Salaries and Fringe Benefits / Q000639:trends; D012959:Socioeconomic Factors; D014481:United States