American Economic Journal: Applied Economics · 2023 · Samuel Arenberg、Seth Neller、Sam Stripling
中文摘要
本文识别出公共医疗保险的一项重要溢出效应：减少监禁。1990年，美国国会通过立法，扩大了1983年9月30日之后出生者的医疗补助（Medicaid）资格。我们发现，恰好在该截止日期之后出生的黑人儿童，到28岁时被监禁的可能性降低5%，这主要由与经济动机型犯罪相关的监禁减少所驱动。其他种族的儿童因该政策几乎未获得医疗补助覆盖的增加，也未表现出类似的下降。我们发现，成年后监禁的减少在很大程度上抵消了扩大资格所产生的初始成本。（JEL H51, I13, I18, I38, J15, K42）
Abstract
This paper identifies an important spillover associated with public health insurance: reduced incarceration. In 1990, Congress passed legislation that increased Medicaid eligibility for individuals born after September 30, 1983. We show that Black children born just after the cutoff are 5 percent less likely to be incarcerated by age 28, driven primarily by a decrease in incarcerations connected to financially motivated offenses. Children of other races, who experienced almost no gain in Medicaid coverage as a result of the policy, demonstrate no such decline. We find that reduced incarceration in adulthood substantially offsets the initial costs of expanding eligibility. (JEL H51, I13, I18, I38, J15, K42)