Open AccessSame-Sex Marriage and Gains in Employer-Sponsored Insurance for US Adults, 2008–2017
Author(s) -
Janelle Downing,
Paulette Cha
Publication year - 2020
Publication title -
american journal of public health
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 2.284
H-Index - 264
eISSN - 1541-0048
pISSN - 0090-0036
DOI - 10.2105/ajph.2019.305510
Subject(s) - health insurance , demography , percentage point , american community survey , medicine , demographic economics , political science , business , economics , health care , law , sociology , population , finance , census
Objectives. To estimate the effects of same-sex marriage recognition on health insurance coverage. Methods. We used 2008-2017 data from the American Community Survey that represent 18 416 674 adult respondents in the United States. We estimated changes to health insurance outcomes using state-year variation in marriage equality recognition in a difference-in-differences framework. Results. Marriage equality led to a 0.61 percentage point ( P = .03) increase in employer-sponsored health insurance coverage, with similar results for men and women. Conclusions. US adults gained employer-sponsored coverage as a result of marriage equality recognition over the study period, likely because of an increase in dependent coverage for newly recognized same-sex married partners.