Out of the Woodwork: Enrollment Spillovers in the Oregon Health Insurance Experiment

A-Tier
Journal: American Economic Journal: Economic Policy
Year: 2022
Volume: 14
Issue: 3
Pages: 273-95

Authors (3)

Adam Sacarny (National Bureau of Economic Re...) Katherine Baicker (not in RePEc) Amy Finkelstein (not in RePEc)

Score contribution per author:

1.341 = (α=2.01 / 3 authors) × 2.0x A-tier

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

Abstract

We study the impact of expanded adult Medicaid eligibility on the enrollment of already-eligible children. We analyze the 2008 Oregon Medicaid lottery, in which some low-income uninsured adults were randomly selected to be allowed to apply for Medicaid. Children in these households were eligible for Medicaid irrespective of the lottery outcome. We estimate statistically significant but transitory impacts of adult lottery selection on child Medicaid enrollment: at three months after the lottery, for every nine adults who enrolled in Medicaid due to winning the lottery, one additional child also enrolled. Our results shed light on the existence, magnitude, and nature of so-called "woodwork effects."

Technical Details

RePEc Handle
repec:aea:aejpol:v:14:y:2022:i:3:p:273-95
Journal Field
General
Author Count
3
Added to Database
2026-01-29