title: Public health insurance and disparate eligibility of spouses: The Medicare eligibility gap.
abstract: I exploit the age-based eligibility structure of Medicare and the age gap between spouses to examine the impact of Medicare eligibility of an older spouse on the insurance coverage of younger, Medicare-ineligible spouses. Using a regression discontinuity framework, I find that Medicare eligibility of an older spouse can crowd-out the health insurance coverage of a younger spouse. Medicare eligibility of older wives increases the likelihood that younger husbands are uninsured. Younger wives are less likely to be covered through an employer-based plan and more likely to have non-group coverage after an older husband turns 65.
authors.affiliation: 3040 E. Cornwallis Road, P.O. Box 12194, Research Triangle Park, NC 27709-2194, United States. Electronic address: awitman@rti.org.
authors.forename: Allison
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Witman
mesh_terms: D000367:Age Factors; D000368:Aged; D004608:Eligibility Determination / Q000706:statistics & numerical data*; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D017057:Medically Uninsured / Q000706:statistics & numerical data; D006278:Medicare / Q000706:statistics & numerical data*; D008875:Middle Aged; D012044:Regression Analysis; D018454:Spouses / Q000706:statistics & numerical data*; D014481:United States
keywords: Crowd-out; Medicare; Private health insurance; Public health insurance; Regression discontinuity