Health Insurance Patterns of Older Veterans: Evidence from the Health and Retirement Study

With the increased availability of community care to veterans from the VA MISSION Act, policymakers and providers need to understand how older veterans are insured, particularly before Medicare eligibility at age 65. Using data from 1996 to 2018, this study examines the insurance patterns of veterans prior to the expansion of access to community care through the VA and compares those patterns to nonveterans. This study finds that veterans are more likely to have insurance than nonveterans and that they are less likely to rely on Medicaid and Medicare before age 65. Regression estimates also suggest that veterans with at least some college education are less likely to have private insurance and are more likely to be uninsured than nonveterans with the same educational attainment.