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Does government health insurance reduce job lock and job push?

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  • Scott Barkowski

Abstract

I study job lock and job push, twin phenomena believed to be partially due to employment‐contingent health insurance (ECHI). Using variation in Medicaid eligibility among household members of male workers to identify changes in those workers' reliance on ECHI, I estimate notable job lock and job push effects. For married male workers, a 15 percentage point increase in the likelihood a household member is eligible for Medicaid increases the rate of voluntary job exits over a four‐month period by 14%. For job push, the same increase in a household member's likelihood of Medicaid eligibility reduces the transition rate into jobs with ECHI among all male workers by 8%.

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  • Scott Barkowski, 2020. "Does government health insurance reduce job lock and job push?," Southern Economic Journal, John Wiley & Sons, vol. 87(1), pages 122-169, July.
  • Handle: RePEc:wly:soecon:v:87:y:2020:i:1:p:122-169
    DOI: 10.1002/soej.12434
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    2. Hong Chen & Jia Yu & Mingshuai Qin & Yangyang Wang & Lijian Qin, 2023. "Unlocking Opportunities for Migrant Workers in China: Analyzing the Impact of Health Insurance on Hukou Switching Intentions," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 15(8), pages 1-15, April.
    3. Chatterji, Pinka & Brandon, Peter & Markowitz, Sara, 2016. "Job mobility among parents of children with chronic health conditions: Early effects of the 2010 Affordable Care Act," Journal of Health Economics, Elsevier, vol. 48(C), pages 26-43.
    4. Bottasso, Anna & Cerruti, Gianluca & Conti, Maurizio & Stancanelli, Elena G. F., 2022. "The Effects of the Affordable Care Act on Labour Supply and Other Uses of Time," IZA Discussion Papers 15415, Institute of Labor Economics (IZA).

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    More about this item

    JEL classification:

    • I13 - Health, Education, and Welfare - - Health - - - Health Insurance, Public and Private
    • J6 - Labor and Demographic Economics - - Mobility, Unemployment, Vacancies, and Immigrant Workers

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