Score contribution per author:
α: calibrated so average coauthorship-adjusted count equals average raw count
This paper investigates the effects of health insurance on HIV testing rates among the US general population using nationally representative data from the Behavioral Risk Factor Surveillance Survey (BRFSS) for the years 1993 to 2003. We estimate recursive bivariate probit models with insurance coverage and HIV testing as the dependent variables. We use changes in Medicaid eligibility and distribution of firm size over time within a state as instruments for insurance coverage. The results suggest that (1) insurance coverage increases HIV testing rates, (2) insurance coverage increases HIV testing rates more among the high-risk population, and (3) the effects of insurance coverage on HIV testing for high-risk populations increased over time.