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Effects of long-term care insurance on financial well-being

Author

Listed:
  • Jing Dong

    (IMPAQ International)

  • Fabrice Smieliauskas

    (The University of Chicago)

  • R. Tamara Konetzka

    (The University of Chicago)

Abstract

Although private long-term care insurance (LTCI) is often discussed as a potential solution to the need for long-term care financing in the U.S., there is little empirical evidence on the economic consequences of having LTCI. We use U.S. Health and Retirement Study data to examine how LTCI affects key financial outcomes of insured individuals. Using an instrumental variable approach to account for the endogeneity of LTCI purchase, we find that LTCI leads to consistently positive effects on assets, consistently negative effects on Medicaid and Food Stamp enrolment and parent–child financial transfers, and ambiguous effects on out-of-pocket medical payments. These results suggest that although private LTCI does not entirely protect insured individuals against large medical expenditure, it improves the general financial well-being of insured individuals, potentially by reducing Medicaid-related disincentives to asset accumulation, motivating individuals to save more and reduce intergenerational wealth transfers.

Suggested Citation

  • Jing Dong & Fabrice Smieliauskas & R. Tamara Konetzka, 2019. "Effects of long-term care insurance on financial well-being," The Geneva Papers on Risk and Insurance - Issues and Practice, Palgrave Macmillan;The Geneva Association, vol. 44(2), pages 277-302, April.
    • Handle: RePEc:pal:gpprii:v:44:y:2019:i:2:d:10.1057_s41288-018-00113-7
    DOI: 10.1057/s41288-018-00113-7
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    Cited by:

    1. Kim, Hoolda & Mitra, Sophie, 2022. "The Economic and Health Effects of Long-Term Care Insurance: New Evidence from Korea," The Journal of the Economics of Ageing, Elsevier, vol. 23(C).
    2. Christophe Courbage & Guillem Montoliu-Montes & Joël Wagner, 2023. "On children’s motives to influence parents’ long-term care insurance purchase: evidence from Switzerland," The Geneva Papers on Risk and Insurance - Issues and Practice, Palgrave Macmillan;The Geneva Association, vol. 48(1), pages 102-129, January.
    3. Ifra Bashir & Ishtiaq Hussain Qureshi, 2023. "A Systematic Literature Review on Personal Financial Well-Being: The Link to Key Sustainable Development Goals 2030," FIIB Business Review, , vol. 12(1), pages 31-48, March.
    4. Mahendru, Mandeep & Sharma, Gagan Deep & Pereira, Vijay & Gupta, Mansi & Mundi, Hardeep Singh, 2022. "Is it all about money honey? Analyzing and mapping financial well-being research and identifying future research agenda," Journal of Business Research, Elsevier, vol. 150(C), pages 417-436.
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