Health insurance coverage as people approach and pass age-eligibility for Medicare.
This study uses six waves of the Health and Retirement Study (HRS) to measure dynamics of health insurance coverage as people approach and pass age-eligibility for Medicare. Thirteen percent of 59- to 64-year-olds were uninsured and 13% of 65- to 70-year-olds relied solely on Medicare. Those unmarried, in good health, and in poor health had an increased likelihood of being uninsured before age-eligibility for Medicare, while non-whites and those in good health had an increased likelihood of having Medicare-only coverage after age-eligibility for Medicare. Although only a small percentage was continually without coverage or with Medicare-only coverage, a substantial percentage had these coverage types at some point. Limitations and policy implications are included.
Caffrey
Christine
C
Department of Sociology and Gerontology, Miami University, OH, USA. caffrec@gmail.com
Himes
Christine L
CL
D000368:Aged; D004608:Eligibility Determination; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D019458:Insurance Coverage; D007348:Insurance, Health; D008297:Male; D006278:Medicare; D008875:Middle Aged; D014481:United States