Are coresidence and nursing homes substitutes? Evidence from Medicaid spend-down provisions

B-Tier
Journal: Journal of Health Economics
Year: 2018
Volume: 59
Issue: C
Pages: 125-138

Score contribution per author:

2.011 = (α=2.01 / 1 authors) × 1.0x B-tier

α: calibrated so average coauthorship-adjusted count equals average raw count

Abstract

This paper measures the extent to which the price of nursing home care affects a potential substitute living arrangement: coresidence with adult children. Exploiting variation in state Medicaid income “spend-down” provisions over time, I find that living in a state with a spend-down provision decreases the prevalence of coresidence with adult children by 1–4 percentage points for single elderly individuals, with a corresponding increase in the use of nursing home care. These findings suggest that changes in Medicaid eligibility for long-term care benefits could have large impacts on living arrangements, care utilization patterns, and Medicaid expenditures.

Technical Details

RePEc Handle
repec:eee:jhecon:v:59:y:2018:i:c:p:125-138
Journal Field
Health
Author Count
1
Added to Database
2026-01-26