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The impact of the minimum wage on health

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  • Elena Andreyeva

    (University of Pennsylvania)

  • Benjamin Ukert

    (University of Pennsylvania)

Abstract

This study evaluates the effect of minimum wage on risky health behaviors, healthcare access, and self-reported health. We use data from the 1993–2015 Behavioral Risk Factor Surveillance System, and employ a difference-in-differences strategy that utilizes time variation in new minimum wage laws across U.S. states. Results suggest that the minimum wage increases the probability of being obese and decreases daily fruit and vegetable intake, but also decreases days with functional limitations while having no impact on healthcare access. Subsample analyses reveal that the increase in weight and decrease in fruit and vegetable intake are driven by the older population, married, and whites. The improvement in self-reported health is especially strong among non-whites, females, and married.

Suggested Citation

  • Elena Andreyeva & Benjamin Ukert, 2018. "The impact of the minimum wage on health," International Journal of Health Economics and Management, Springer, vol. 18(4), pages 337-375, December.
    • Handle: RePEc:kap:ijhcfe:v:18:y:2018:i:4:d:10.1007_s10754-018-9237-0
    DOI: 10.1007/s10754-018-9237-0
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    Cited by:

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    3. Lucas Hafner & Benjamin Lochner, 2022. "Do minimum wages improve self-rated health? Evidence from a natural experiment," Empirical Economics, Springer, vol. 62(6), pages 2989-3014, June.
    4. Hafner, Lucas, 2019. "Do minimum wages improve self-rated health? Evidence from a natural experiment," FAU Discussion Papers in Economics 02/2019, Friedrich-Alexander University Erlangen-Nuremberg, Institute for Economics.
    5. Otto Lenhart, 2020. "Pathways Between Minimum Wages and Health: The Roles of Health Insurance, Health Care Access and Health Care Utilization," Eastern Economic Journal, Palgrave Macmillan;Eastern Economic Association, vol. 46(3), pages 438-459, June.
    6. Bai, Yihong & Kim, Chungah & Chum, Antony, 2023. "Impact of the minimum wage increase on smoking behaviour: A quasi-experimental study in South Korea," Social Science & Medicine, Elsevier, vol. 333(C).
    7. Leigh, J. Paul, 2021. "Treatment design, health outcomes, and demographic categories in the literature on minimum wages and health," Economics & Human Biology, Elsevier, vol. 43(C).
    8. Sigaud, Liam & Daley, Angela & Rubin, Jonathan & Noblet, Caroline, 2022. "The effects of recent minimum wage increases on self-reported health in the United States," Social Science & Medicine, Elsevier, vol. 305(C).
    9. Atif Khan Jadoon & Abeera Tanveer & Maria Faiq Javed & Ambreen Sarwar, 2021. "Minimum Wages and Poverty: A Cross-Country Analysis," Asian Economic and Financial Review, Asian Economic and Social Society, vol. 11(8), pages 632-643, August.
    10. Claire Benny & Shelby Yamamoto & Sheila McDonald & Radha Chari & Roman Pabayo, 2022. "Modelling Maternal Depression: An Agent-Based Model to Examine the Complex Relationship between Relative Income and Depression," IJERPH, MDPI, vol. 19(7), pages 1-12, April.
    11. Buszkiewicz, James H. & Hajat, Anjum & Hill, Heather D. & Otten, Jennifer J. & Drewnowski, Adam, 2023. "Racial, ethnic, and gender differences in the association between higher state minimum wages and health and mental well-being in US adults with low educational attainment," Social Science & Medicine, Elsevier, vol. 322(C).
    12. Laetitia Lebihan, 2023. "Minimum wages and health: evidence from European countries," International Journal of Health Economics and Management, Springer, vol. 23(1), pages 85-107, March.
    13. David Neumark, 2023. "The Effects of Minimum Wages on (Almost) Everything? A Review of Recent Evidence on Health and Related Behaviors," NBER Working Papers 31191, National Bureau of Economic Research, Inc.
    14. Jiwei Chen, 2021. "Do minimum wage increases benefit worker health? Evidence from China," Review of Economics of the Household, Springer, vol. 19(2), pages 473-499, June.
    15. Slopen, Meredith, 2023. "The impact of paid sick leave mandates on women's health," Social Science & Medicine, Elsevier, vol. 323(C).
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    17. Yuji Mizushima & Haruko Noguchi, 2021. "Spillover effects of minimum wages on suicide mortality: Evidence from Japan," Working Papers 2105, Waseda University, Faculty of Political Science and Economics.

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    More about this item

    Keywords

    Minimum wage; Risky health behaviors; Smoking; Drinking; BMI;
    All these keywords.

    JEL classification:

    • I10 - Health, Education, and Welfare - - Health - - - General
    • I12 - Health, Education, and Welfare - - Health - - - Health Behavior
    • I18 - Health, Education, and Welfare - - Health - - - Government Policy; Regulation; Public Health

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