Love, toil, and health insurance: Why American husbands retire when they do

TitleLove, toil, and health insurance: Why American husbands retire when they do
Publication TypeJournal Article
Year of Publication2014
AuthorsCongdon-Hohman, J
JournalContemporary Economic Policy
Volume33
Issue1
Pagination118-140
KeywordsAdult children, Medicare/Medicaid/Health Insurance, Retirement Planning and Satisfaction
Abstract

The provision of health insurance has previously been shown to be an important determinant of retirement timing among older Americans, but the existing literature has largely ignored some aspects of the interspousal dependence of health insurance benefits. Specifically, the literature examines only how retirement may affect the health insurance available to the potential retiree but not how it might affect a spouse's options. Using data from the Health and Retirement Study, I find that the impact a husband's retirement might have on a wife's health insurance options has a statistically significant impact on a husband's rate of retirement that is independent of considerations of his own health insurance options. In households where the wife is the only one at risk of losing affordable health insurance if the husband retires, the husband is 30 less likely to retire than if neither spouse is at risk (a 5 percentage point decrease in the retirement rate). Based on these findings, prior research is missing one avenue that changes to the Medicare eligibility age and health insurance policy changes through the Affordable Care Act might impact the labor supply of older workers. 2014 Western Economic Association International.

Notes

Export Date: 21 April 2014 Source: Scopus Article in Press

DOI10.1111/coep.12060
Endnote Keywords

Retirement/health insurance/household decision-making/married couples

Endnote ID

999999

Citation Key7991