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Major

Economics

Anticipated Graduation Year

2020

Access Type

Open Access

Abstract

This research studies whether expansions in insurance coverage from the Affordable Care Act resulted in lower rates of suicide among two distinct populations. We study how the ACA’s Dependent Coverage Expansion affected suicide rates for young adult dependents eligible to stay on their parents’ private insurance plans. We also explore how expansions in Medicaid for low-income adults affected suicide rates in the age group most likely gaining coverage. Availability of insurance reduces out of pocket costs for mental health care that may prove beneficial in treating depression and other causes of suicidality reflected in mortality trends observed in the data.

Faculty Mentors & Instructors

Tim Classen, Associate Dean for Teaching & Learning, Associate Professor of Economics, Dept. of Economics

Creative Commons License

Creative Commons Attribution-Noncommercial-No Derivative Works 3.0 License
This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-Noncommercial-No Derivative Works 3.0 License.

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CORRECT ACA Coverage Expansions and Rates of Suicide Among Young and Working Age Adults

This research studies whether expansions in insurance coverage from the Affordable Care Act resulted in lower rates of suicide among two distinct populations. We study how the ACA’s Dependent Coverage Expansion affected suicide rates for young adult dependents eligible to stay on their parents’ private insurance plans. We also explore how expansions in Medicaid for low-income adults affected suicide rates in the age group most likely gaining coverage. Availability of insurance reduces out of pocket costs for mental health care that may prove beneficial in treating depression and other causes of suicidality reflected in mortality trends observed in the data.