Publication Type

Working Paper

Version

publishedVersion

Publication Date

10-2018

Abstract

We study the effects of Massachusetts' healthcare reform on individuals' subjective well-being. Using data from the Behavioral Risk Factor Surveillance System, we find that the reform significantly improved Massachusetts residents' overall life-satisfaction. This result is robust to various sensitivity checks and a falsification test. We also find that the reform improved mental health. An additional analysis on the Tennessee healthcare reform supports our findings' external validity. Using the reform as an instrument for health insurance coverage, we estimate its large impact on overall life-satisfaction. Our results provide novel evidence on the psychological consequences of Massachusetts' healthcare reform.

Keywords

Health insurance, Life satisfaction, Happiness, Subjective well-being, Massachusetts healthcare reform

Discipline

Health Economics

Research Areas

Applied Microeconomics

Issue

IZA DP No. 11879

First Page

1

Last Page

39

Publisher

IZA DP No. 11879

City or Country

Bonn

Copyright Owner and License

Authors

Additional URL

http://ftp.iza.org/dp11879.pdf

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