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SOCIAL SCIENCE RESEARCH NETWORK
E M P L O Y E E B E N E F I T S , C O M P E N S A T I O N
& P E N S I O N L A W
Vol. 8, No. 2: January 18, 2007
Editor: PAMELA J. PERUN
Urban Institute
PAMELA@PLANETNOW.COM
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Topic of This Issue:
Health Care
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T A B L E O F C O N T E N T S
"The Rise of Same-Sex Partner Health Benefits in Fortune 500
Corporations, 1990-2003"
YOU-TA CHUANG
York University - Atkinson School of Administrative
Studies
ROBIN L. CHURCH
University of Winnipeg
RON OPHIR
York University - Atkinson School of Administrative
Studies
"Early Retirement and Public Disability Insurance Applications:
Exploring the Impact of Depression"
RENA M. CONTI
Harvard Medical School - Department of Health Care
ERNST R. BERNDT
Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT) - Sloan
School of Management, National Bureau of Economic
Research (NBER)
RICHARD FRANK
Harvard Medical School, National Bureau of Economic
Research (NBER)
"Medicaid Crowd-Out of Private Long-Term Care Insurance Demand:
Evidence from the Health and Retirement Survey"
JEFFREY R. BROWN
University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign - Department
of Finance, National Bureau of Economic Research (NBER)
NORMA B. COE
Tilburg University
AMY FINKELSTEIN
Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT) - Department
of Economics, National Bureau of Economic Research
(NBER)
"Health Care Reform in the United States: Why, When and How?"
DOUGLAS HOLTZ-EAKIN
Council on Foreign Relations
"The 2nd Annual EBRI/Commonwealth Fund Consumerism in Health Care
Survey, 2006: Early Experience With High-Deductible and
Consumer-Driven Health Plans"
PAUL FRONSTIN
Employee Benefit Research Institute (EBRI)
SARA R. COLLINS
The Commonwealth Fund
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"The Rise of Same-Sex Partner Health Benefits in Fortune 500
Corporations, 1990-2003"
Contact: YOU-TA CHUANG
York University - Atkinson School of Administrative
Studies
Email: ychuang@yorku.ca
Auth-Page: http://ssrn.com/author=387001
Co-Author: ROBIN L. CHURCH
University of Winnipeg
Email: r.church@uwinnipeg.ca
Auth-Page: http://ssrn.com/author=402060
Co-Author: RON OPHIR
York University - Atkinson School of Administrative
Studies
Email: ophir@yorku.ca
Auth-Page: http://ssrn.com/author=387025
Abstract: http://ssrn.com/abstract=949624
ABSTRACT: We examine the rise of same-sex partner health benefits
in Fortune 500 corporations, 1990-2003. Such benefits challenged
the existing institution of workplace heterosexism, which in turn
triggered contestation between proponents and opponents of the
institutions of workplace heterosexism and of equality for
lesbians and gay employees. We link vicarious learning with the
framework of institutional analysis to show that, faced with
institutional uncertainty derived from such contestation,
cumulative institutional cues embedded in state legal
environments and press coverage as well as cumulative adoption
experiences of similar others played important roles in the rise
of the benefits in the observed period.
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"Early Retirement and Public Disability Insurance Applications:
Exploring the Impact of Depression"
NBER Working Paper No. W12237
Author: RENA M. CONTI
Harvard Medical School - Department of Health Care
Email: rconti@fas.harvard.edu
Auth-Page: http://ssrn.com/author=626946
Contact: ERNST R. BERNDT
Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT) - Sloan
School of Management, National Bureau of Economic
Research (NBER)
Email: eberndt@mit.edu
Auth-Page: http://ssrn.com/author=25679
Co-Author: RICHARD FRANK
Harvard Medical School, National Bureau of Economic
Research (NBER)
Email: frank@hcp.med.harvard.edu
Auth-Page: http://ssrn.com/author=63639
Full Text: http://ssrn.com/abstract=902589
ABSTRACT: This paper investigates the impact of depression on
labor force participation among older workers. Empirically, we
use two analytic strategies and rely on a sample drawn from the
Health and Retirement Survey. Depression directly and indirectly
increases individuals' probability of retiring early and applying
for DI benefits, after accounting for other predictors of labor
force exit. Accounting for the independent effects of depression,
disability associated with physical illness may be smaller than
the official statistics suggest. There may be great economic
gains in increasing depression treatment awareness and access to
treatment for individuals, employers and society.
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"Medicaid Crowd-Out of Private Long-Term Care Insurance Demand:
Evidence from the Health and Retirement Survey"
NBER Working Paper No. W12536
Contact: JEFFREY R. BROWN
University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign -
Department of Finance, National Bureau of Economic
Research (NBER)
Email: brownjr@uiuc.edu
Auth-Page: http://ssrn.com/author=155077
Co-Author: NORMA B. COE
Tilburg University
Email: N.Coe@uvt.nl
Auth-Page: http://ssrn.com/author=576360
Co-Author: AMY FINKELSTEIN
Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT) -
Department of Economics, National Bureau of
Economic Research (NBER)
Email: afink@mit.edu
Auth-Page: http://ssrn.com/author=173478
Full Text: http://ssrn.com/abstract=931378
ABSTRACT: This paper provides empirical evidence of Medicaid
crowd out of demand for private long-term care insurance. Using
data on the near- and young-elderly in the Health and Retirement
Survey, our central estimate suggests that a $10,000 decrease in
the level of assets an individual can keep while qualifying for
Medicaid would increase private long-term care insurance coverage
by 1.1 percentage points. These estimates imply that if every
state in the country moved from their current Medicaid asset
eligibility requirements to the most stringent Medicaid
eligibility requirements allowed by federal law - a change that
would decrease average household assets protected by Medicaid by
about $25,000 - demand for private long-term care insurance would
rise by 2.7 percentage points. While this represents a 30 percent
increase in insurance coverage relative to the baseline ownership
rate of 9.1 percent, it also indicates that the vast majority of
households would still find it unattractive to purchase private
insurance. We discuss reasons why, even with extremely stringent
eligibility requirements, Medicaid may still exert a large
crowd-out effect on demand for private insurance.
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"Health Care Reform in the United States: Why, When and How?"
Networks Financial Institute Policy Brief No. 2006-PB-16
Contact: DOUGLAS HOLTZ-EAKIN
Council on Foreign Relations
Email: dholtzeakin@cfr.org
Auth-Page: http://ssrn.com/author=717655
Full Text: http://ssrn.com/abstract=947906
ABSTRACT: Why should the United States engage in broad reform of
its health care? Because it must. When should health care reform
begin? Yesterday would be best, but today for sure. And how
should reform be done? It should focus on continuous incremental
changes to the cultural, legal, and regulatory environment that
improve the capacity of health care markets.
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"The 2nd Annual EBRI/Commonwealth Fund Consumerism in Health Care
Survey, 2006: Early Experience With High-Deductible and
Consumer-Driven Health Plans"
EBRI Issue Brief, No. 300, December 2006
Contact: PAUL FRONSTIN
Employee Benefit Research Institute (EBRI)
Email: FRONSTIN@EBRI.ORG
Auth-Page: http://ssrn.com/author=255140
Co-Author: SARA R. COLLINS
The Commonwealth Fund
Email: src@cmwf.org
Auth-Page: http://ssrn.com/author=464484
Full Text: http://ssrn.com/abstract=951806
ABSTRACT: This paper presents findings from the EBRI/Commonwealth
Fund Consumerism in Health Care Survey, 2006, the second annual
version of this survey. The online survey of 3,158 privately
insured adults ages 21-64 was conducted to provide nationally
representative data regarding the growth of consumer-directed
health plans (CDHPs) and high-deductible health plans (HDHPs),
and their impact on the behavior and attitudes of health care
consumers. The survey found that enrollment in consumer-driven
plans remains low, and satisfaction continues to lag when
compared with more comprehensive health insurance. The survey
also found that, despite the expectations of some policymakers
that the lower premiums and tax benefits of consumer-driven
health plans (CDHPs) would substantially reduce the number of
people without health insurance, adults in these plans were no
more likely to have been uninsured before enrolling in their
plans than are those with more comprehensive insurance coverage.