IT'S ABOUT TIME: EFFECTS OF THE AFFORDABLE CARE ACT DEPENDENT COVERAGE MANDATE ON TIME USE

摘要: One of the main purposes recent healthcare reform (Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act - ACA) in U.S. is to enable Americans make more productive use their time. We examine how ACA's dependent care coverage mandate (DCM) affected young adults' time allocation. Based on accurate measures from American Time Use Surveys difference-in-difference methods, we first confirm that DCM reduced labor supply. The question then arises, what have these adults done with extra time? provide some evidence this issue. Estimates suggest has job-lock, as well duration average doctor's visit, including spent waiting for receiving medical care, among persons ages 19-25. latter effect consistent substitution hospital ER utilization routine physician care. gone into socializing, a lesser extent, educational activities job search. A related whether changes made better off. find availability insurance change work appear increased subjective well-being, enabling them spend they view meaningful than those did before became available.