Many have argued that concerns over health insurance reduce labor market mobility in the United States, causing a "job lock" effect. We take advantage of the novel natural experiment created by the Affordable Care Act's dependent coverage mandate to estimate the magnitude of the job lock effect for young adults. Using the 2008-2013 Current Population Survey and a difference-in-difference research design, we find that the expansion of dependent coverage did not increase job mobility, suggesting that job lock is not a major concern for young adults. (JEL J62, I13, I18)

In the U.S., nearly 11% of school-age children have been diagnosed with ADHD, and approximately 10% of children suffer from asthma. In the last decade, the number of children diagnosed with these conditions has inexplicably been on the rise. This increase has been concentrated in the Medicaid caseload nationwide. One of the most striking changes in Medicaid has been the transition from fee-for-service (FFS) reimbursement to Medicaid managed care (MMC), which had taken place in 80% of states by 2016. Using Medicaid claims from South Carolina, we show that this change contributed to the increase in asthma and ADHD caseloads. Empirically, we rely on variation in MMC enrollment due to a change in the “default” Medicaid plan from FFS to MMC, and on rich panel data that allow us to follow the same children before and after they were required to switch. We find that the transition from FFS to MMC explains about a third of the rise in the number of Medicaid children being treated for ADHD and asthma, along with increases in treatment for many other conditions. These are likely to be due to the incentives created by the risk adjustment and quality control systems in MMC.

Large literatures document positive effects of WIC on birth outcomes, and separately connect health at birth and future outcomes. But little research investigates the link between prenatal WIC participation and childhood outcomes. We explore this question using a unique data set from South Carolina which links administrative birth, Medicaid, and education records. We find that relative to their siblings, prenatal WIC participants have a lower incidence of ADHD and other common childhood mental health conditions and of grade repetition. These findings demonstrate that a "WIC start" results in persistent improvements in child outcomes across a range of domains.

BACKGROUND Family income is known to affect child health, but this relationship can be bidirectional. We sought to characterize this relationship by quantifying forgone family employment (FFE) due to a child’s health condition in families of children with special health care needs (CSHCN) with updated figures. METHODS We conducted a secondary data analysis from the 2016–2017 National Survey of Children’s Health. CSHCN with previously employed caregivers were included (N = 14 050). FFE was defined as any family member having stopped work and/or reduced hours because of their child’s health or health condition. Child, caregiver, and household characteristics were compared by FFE status. Logistic regression analysis was conducted to evaluate the association between hours of medical care provide by a family member and FFE. US Bureau of Labor Statistics reports were used to estimate lost earnings from FFE. RESULTS FFE occurred in 14.5% (95% confidence interval [CI] 12.9%–16.1%) of previously employed families with CSHCN and was 40.9% (95% CI 27.1%–54.7%) for children with an intellectual disability. We observed disproportionately high FFE among CSHCN who were 0 to 5 years old and of Hispanic ethnicity. We found a strong association between FFE and increasing hours of family-provided medical care, with an adjusted odds ratio (aOR) of 1.72 (95% CI 1.25–2.36) for <1 hour per week (compared with 0 hours), an aOR of 5.96 (95% CI 4.30–8.27) for 1 to 4 hours per week, an aOR of 11.89 (95% CI 6.19–22.81) for 5 to 10 hours per week, and an aOR of 8.89 (95% CI 5.26–15.01) for >10 hours per week. Lost earnings for each household with FFE were estimated at ∼$18 000 per year. CONCLUSIONS With our findings, we highlight the need to implement programs and policies that address forgone income experienced by families of CSHCN.

Standard-Nutzungsbedingungen:Die Dokumente auf EconStor dürfen zu eigenen wissenschaftlichen Zwecken und zum Privatgebrauch gespeichert und kopiert werden.Sie dürfen die Dokumente nicht für öffentliche oder kommerzielle Zwecke vervielfältigen, öffentlich ausstellen, öffentlich zugänglich machen, vertreiben oder anderweitig nutzen.Sofern die Verfasser die Dokumente unter Open-Content-Lizenzen (insbesondere CC-Lizenzen) zur Verfügung gestellt haben sollten, gelten abweichend von diesen Nutzungsbedingungen die in der dort genannten Lizenz gewährten Nutzungsrechte. In the U.S., 8% of children are diagnosed with ADHD and 70% are taking medications, yet little evidence exists on the effects of ADHD treatment on children's outcomes. We use a panel of South Carolina Medicaid claims data to investigate the effects of ADHD drugs on the probability of risky sexual behavior outcomes (STDs and pregnancy), substance abuse disorders, and injuries. To overcome potential endogeneity, we instrument for treatment using physicians' preferences to prescribe medication. Our findings suggest that pharmacological treatment has substantial benefits. It reduces the probability of contracting an STD by 3.6 percentage points (7.7 percentage points if we include STD screening), reduces the probability of having a substance abuse disorder by 12.5 percentage points, reduces the probability of injuries by 3.1 percentage points per year, and associated with them Medicaid costs decrease by $122, or 0.07 standard deviation. Terms of use: Documents in EconStor may