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The Impact of the ACA 's Extension of Coverage to Dependents on Young Adults’ Access to Care and Prescription Drugs
Author(s) -
AmuedoDorantes Catalina,
Yaya Mehmet E.
Publication year - 2016
Publication title -
southern economic journal
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 0.762
H-Index - 58
eISSN - 2325-8012
pISSN - 0038-4038
DOI - 10.1002/soej.12125
Subject(s) - medical prescription , mandate , health insurance , patient protection and affordable care act , health care , national health interview survey , medical care , prescription drug , medicine , environmental health , business , actuarial science , family medicine , nursing , political science , economics , economic growth , population , law
We examine the impact of the Affordable Care Act (ACA)'s extension of coverage to dependents on young adults’ access to care as captured by their likelihood of delaying needed medical care or forgoing prescription drugs. Using data from the 2002 through 2013 waves of the National Health Interview Survey, we find that the federal mandate has not only significantly lowered their likelihood of being uninsured, but also significantly reduced their likelihood of delaying needed medical care or forgoing prescription drugs by 13% and by 31%, respectively. Because these early impacts might still underestimate the long‐run effect of greater health insurance coverage on health care utilization, the findings hint on the success of the ACA's expansion of dependent coverage to young adults in improving their access to health care.