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Health Insurance and the Aging: Evidence From the Seguro Popular Program in Mexico

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  • Susan W. Parker

    (University of Maryland
    Centro de Investigación y Docencia Económicas (CIDE))

  • Joseph Saenz

    (University of Southern California)

  • Rebeca Wong

    (University of Texas Medical Branch)

Abstract

Aimed at covering the large fraction of workers in the informal sector without access to a social security program, the Mexican public health insurance program Seguro Popular began in 2002 and now reaches more than 50 million individuals. We estimate impacts of Seguro Popular for the population aged 50 and older on a set of indicators related to health care including utilization, diagnostic/preventive tests, and treatment conditional on being ill. Using the longitudinal Mexican Health and Aging Study over the period 2001–2012, we conduct before and after difference-in-difference matching impact estimators. Our results suggest large and important effects of the Program on utilization and diagnostic tests. We find overall smaller effects on the probability of being in treatment for individuals with chronic diseases, but these effects are concentrated in rural areas with relatively more health services versus rural areas with lower levels of health services. These results suggest that, to the extent that health services become more available in rural areas lacking services, effects of health insurance may increase.

Suggested Citation

  • Susan W. Parker & Joseph Saenz & Rebeca Wong, 2018. "Health Insurance and the Aging: Evidence From the Seguro Popular Program in Mexico," Demography, Springer;Population Association of America (PAA), vol. 55(1), pages 361-386, February.
    • Handle: RePEc:spr:demogr:v:55:y:2018:i:1:d:10.1007_s13524-017-0645-4
    DOI: 10.1007/s13524-017-0645-4
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    References listed on IDEAS

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    Cited by:

    1. Ana C. Gómez-Ugarte & Víctor M. García-Guerrero, 2023. "Inequality Crossroads of Mortality: Socioeconomic Disparities in Life Expectancy and Life Span in Mexico Between 1990 and 2015," Population Research and Policy Review, Springer;Southern Demographic Association (SDA), vol. 42(4), pages 1-22, August.
    2. Chung Shin Fung, 2022. "The impact of Socio-Demographic variables on the Retirement Environment ," GATR Journals gjbssr625, Global Academy of Training and Research (GATR) Enterprise.
    3. Rocío García-Díaz & Sandra G Sosa-Rubí & Edson Serván-Mori & Gustavo Nigenda, 2018. "Welfare effects of health insurance in Mexico: The case of Seguro Popular de Salud," PLOS ONE, Public Library of Science, vol. 13(7), pages 1-18, July.
    4. Arenas, Erika & Parker, Susan W. & Rubalcava, Luis & Teruel, Graciela, 2023. "Impact of health insurance on adult mortality in rural areas: Evidence of Seguro Popular in Mexico using panel data," World Development Perspectives, Elsevier, vol. 30(C).
    5. Fernández Guerrico, Sofía, 2021. "The effects of trade-induced worker displacement on health and mortality in Mexico," Journal of Health Economics, Elsevier, vol. 80(C).
    6. Curtis Huffman & Ricardo Regules-García & Delfino Vargas Chanes, 2019. "Living arrangement dynamics of older adults in Mexico: Latent class analysis in an accelerated longitudinal design," Demographic Research, Max Planck Institute for Demographic Research, Rostock, Germany, vol. 41(50), pages 1401-1436.
    7. Torres, Jacqueline M. & Yahirun, Jenjira J. & Sheehan, Connor & Ma, Mingming & Sáenz, Joseph, 2021. "Adult child socio-economic status disadvantage and cognitive decline among older parents in Mexico," Social Science & Medicine, Elsevier, vol. 279(C).
    8. del Valle, Alejandro, 2021. "The effects of public health insurance in labor markets with informal jobs: Evidence from Mexico," Journal of Health Economics, Elsevier, vol. 77(C).

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