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Health Care Reform or More Affordable Health Care?

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  • Ferreira, Pedro Cavalcanti
  • Gomes, Diego Braz Pereira

Abstract

This article investigates the impact on the U.S. economy of making health care more affordable. We compare health care cost reductions with the Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act (PPACA) using a rich life cycle general equilibrium model with heterogeneous agents. We found that all policies were able to reduce uninsured population, but the PPACA was the most effective: in the long run, less than 5% of Americans would remain uninsured. Cost reductions alleviated the government budget, while tax hikes were needed to finance the reform. Feasible cost reductions are less welfare improving than the PPACA.

Suggested Citation

  • Ferreira, Pedro Cavalcanti & Gomes, Diego Braz Pereira, 2016. "Health Care Reform or More Affordable Health Care?," FGV EPGE Economics Working Papers (Ensaios Economicos da EPGE) 780, EPGE Brazilian School of Economics and Finance - FGV EPGE (Brazil).
    • Handle: RePEc:fgv:epgewp:780
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    Cited by:

    1. Delalibera, Bruno Ricardo & Ferreira, Pedro Cavalcanti & Parente, Rafael Machado, 2023. "Social security reforms, retirement and sectoral decisions," FGV EPGE Economics Working Papers (Ensaios Economicos da EPGE) 838, EPGE Brazilian School of Economics and Finance - FGV EPGE (Brazil).
    2. Delalibera, Bruno Ricardo & Ferreira, Pedro Cavalcanti & Parente, Rafael Machado, 2024. "Social security reforms, retirement and sectoral decisions," FGV EPGE Economics Working Papers (Ensaios Economicos da EPGE) 842, EPGE Brazilian School of Economics and Finance - FGV EPGE (Brazil).
    3. Diego Gomes & Cezar Santos & Felipe Iachan, 2019. "Labor Earnings Dynamics with a Large Informal Sector," 2019 Meeting Papers 793, Society for Economic Dynamics.
    4. Dalci, Ilhan & Ozyapici, Hasan, 2018. "Working capital management policy in health care: The effect of leverage," Health Policy, Elsevier, vol. 122(11), pages 1266-1272.
    5. White, Matthew N., 2023. "Self-reported health status and latent health dynamics," Journal of Health Economics, Elsevier, vol. 88(C).

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    More about this item

    JEL classification:

    • D91 - Microeconomics - - Micro-Based Behavioral Economics - - - Role and Effects of Psychological, Emotional, Social, and Cognitive Factors on Decision Making
    • E65 - Macroeconomics and Monetary Economics - - Macroeconomic Policy, Macroeconomic Aspects of Public Finance, and General Outlook - - - Studies of Particular Policy Episodes
    • H51 - Public Economics - - National Government Expenditures and Related Policies - - - Government Expenditures and Health
    • I13 - Health, Education, and Welfare - - Health - - - Health Insurance, Public and Private
    • I18 - Health, Education, and Welfare - - Health - - - Government Policy; Regulation; Public Health
    • I38 - Health, Education, and Welfare - - Welfare, Well-Being, and Poverty - - - Government Programs; Provision and Effects of Welfare Programs

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