Author: Borjas, George
Working Paper: Welfare Reform, Labor Supply, and Health Insurance in the Immigrant Population (PDF) ; May 2003
Research Highlight 7 (HTML) (PDF) ; October 2004
Q & A with George Borjas, Ph.D. (HTML) ; October 2004
Research Findings (HTML)
Abstract:
Although the 1996 welfare reform legislation limited the eligibility of immigrant
households to receive assistance, many states chose to protect their immigrant
populations by offering state-funded aid to these groups. I exploit these changes in
eligibility rules to examine the link between the welfare cutbacks and health insurance
coverage in the immigrant population. The data reveal that the cutbacks in the Medicaid
program did not reduce health insurance coverage rates among targeted immigrants. The
immigrants responded by increasing their labor supply, thereby raising the probability of
being covered by employer-sponsored health insurance. |
