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Partial-Year Insurance Coverage and the Health Care Utilization of Children
Lindsey Jeanne Leininger*
University of Wisconsin-Madison
* To whom correspondence should be addressed. E-mail: lindseyjeanne{at}gmail.com.
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Abstract |
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A large literature examines the effects of health insurance on the health care utilization of children; however, most existing studies conceptualize coverage as a point-in-time measure rather than as a dynamic phenomenon. The major contribution of this article is its provision of estimates on the relationship between the duration of coverage over the course of a calendar year and health care utilization among children. Using child-level fixed-effects regression, we find that an incremental uninsured month is associated with a 0.7 percentage point decline in the probability of receiving a visit over the course of a year and a 3% decrease in the number of visits received. Children with intrayear coverage losses are more likely than those with continuous coverage to lose their usual source of care, which serves as a potential mechanism through which short gaps in coverage may lead to longer-term decrements in utilization.
First published on November 3, 2008, doi:10.1177/1077558708324341
Medical Care Research and Review 2009;66:49.
A more recent version of this article appeared on February 1, 2009
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