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Employer-Sponsored Health Insurance and the Promise of Health Insurance Reform

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  • Thomas C. Buchmueller
  • Alan C. Monheit

Abstract

The central role that employers play in financing health care is a distinctive feature of the U.S. health care system, and the provision of health insurance through the workplace has important implications well beyond its role as source of health care financing. In this paper, we consider the "goodness of fit" of ESI in the current economic and health insurance environments and in light of prospects for a vigorous national debate over shape of health care reform. The main issue that we explore is whether ESI can have a viable role in health system reform efforts or whether such coverage will need to be significantly modified or even abandoned as reform seeks to address important issues in the efficient provision and equitable distribution of health insurance coverage, to create expanded health plan choices and competition in health insurance markets, and to structure incentives for the more efficient use of health services.

Suggested Citation

  • Thomas C. Buchmueller & Alan C. Monheit, 2009. "Employer-Sponsored Health Insurance and the Promise of Health Insurance Reform," NBER Working Papers 14839, National Bureau of Economic Research, Inc.
  • Handle: RePEc:nbr:nberwo:14839
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    References listed on IDEAS

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    Cited by:

    1. Zhigang Feng & Anne Villamil, 2022. "Funding employer-based insurance: regressive taxation and premium exclusions," Economic Theory, Springer;Society for the Advancement of Economic Theory (SAET), vol. 73(2), pages 509-540, April.
    2. Xuguang Guo & Ran Tao, 2015. "Health Benefit Downward Rigidity: Employers’ Responses to Rising Insurance Costs," Risk Management and Insurance Review, American Risk and Insurance Association, vol. 18(2), pages 217-241, September.
    3. Wen-Yi Chen, 2016. "Health progress and economic growth in the USA: the continuous wavelet analysis," Empirical Economics, Springer, vol. 50(3), pages 831-855, May.
    4. David Chivers & Zhigang Feng & Anne Villamil, 2017. "Employment-based Health Insurance and Misallocation: Implications for the Macroeconomy," Review of Economic Dynamics, Elsevier for the Society for Economic Dynamics, vol. 23, pages 125-149, January.
    5. Lennon, Conor, 2022. "Employer-sponsored health insurance and labor market outcomes for men in same-sex couples: Evidence from the advent of pre-exposure prophylaxis," Economics & Human Biology, Elsevier, vol. 47(C).
    6. Luke Petach & David K. Wyant, 2023. "The union advantage: union membership, access to care, and the Affordable Care Act," International Journal of Health Economics and Management, Springer, vol. 23(1), pages 1-26, March.
    7. Dizioli, Allan & Pinheiro, Roberto, 2016. "Health insurance as a productive factor," Labour Economics, Elsevier, vol. 40(C), pages 1-24.
    8. Jacqueline Chattopadhyay, 2018. "State Health Insurance Regulation and Self-Employment Rates After the Great Recession: The Role of Guaranteed Issue Mandates," Economic Development Quarterly, , vol. 32(1), pages 78-92, February.
    9. Ponpoje Porapakkarm & Svetlana Pashchenko, 2011. "Front-loaded contracts in health insurance market: How valuable is guaranteed renewability?," 2011 Meeting Papers 1268, Society for Economic Dynamics.
    10. Yuqi Gu, 2023. "Environmental performance and employee welfare: Evidence from health benefit costs," International Review of Finance, International Review of Finance Ltd., vol. 23(3), pages 484-501, September.

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    More about this item

    JEL classification:

    • I11 - Health, Education, and Welfare - - Health - - - Analysis of Health Care Markets
    • 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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