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Immigration Relief and Insurance Coverage: Evidence from Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals

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  • Bae Jung

    (Department of Economics, Ohio State University College of Arts and Sciences, 2825 Neil Ave, Apt 815, Columbus, OH, 43210-1326, USA)

Abstract

I find that the 2012 Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals (DACA) program, which conferred protection from deportation and work authorization to undocumented immigrants who had been brought to the U.S. as children, increased eligible immigrants’ likelihood of having health insurance coverage. Exploiting a cutoff rule in the eligibility criteria of DACA, I implement a difference-in-regression-discontinuities design. The insured rate increased by up to 4.3 percentage points more for DACA-eligible immigrants than for ineligible immigrants following DACA. Two-thirds of this increase is accounted for by upticks in employer-sponsored and privately purchased insurance. The findings are also consistent with immigrants becoming less averse to approach health institutions, and taking up medical financial assistance at a higher rate.

Suggested Citation

  • Bae Jung, 2020. "Immigration Relief and Insurance Coverage: Evidence from Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals," The B.E. Journal of Economic Analysis & Policy, De Gruyter, vol. 20(3), pages 1-37, July.
    • Handle: RePEc:bpj:bejeap:v:20:y:2020:i:3:p:37:n:6
    DOI: 10.1515/bejeap-2019-0305
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    Cited by:

    1. Amuedo-Dorantes, Catalina & Wang, Chunbei, 2023. "Intermarriage amid Immigration Status Uncertainty: Evidence from DACA," IZA Discussion Papers 16548, Institute of Labor Economics (IZA).

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    More about this item

    Keywords

    undocumented immigrants; deferred action for childhood arrivals; health insurance; I13; J15; J61;
    All these keywords.

    JEL classification:

    • I13 - Health, Education, and Welfare - - Health - - - Health Insurance, Public and Private
    • J15 - Labor and Demographic Economics - - Demographic Economics - - - Economics of Minorities, Races, Indigenous Peoples, and Immigrants; Non-labor Discrimination
    • J61 - Labor and Demographic Economics - - Mobility, Unemployment, Vacancies, and Immigrant Workers - - - Geographic Labor Mobility; Immigrant Workers

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