Please use this identifier to cite or link to this item: https://hdl.handle.net/10419/185339 
Year of Publication: 
2018
Series/Report no.: 
IZA Discussion Papers No. 11879
Publisher: 
Institute of Labor Economics (IZA), Bonn
Abstract: 
We study the effects of Massachusetts' healthcare reform on individuals' subjective well-being. Using data from the Behavioral Risk Factor Surveillance System, we find that the reform significantly improved Massachusetts residents' overall life-satisfaction. This result is robust to various sensitivity checks and a falsification test. We also find that the reform improved mental health. An additional analysis on the Tennessee healthcare reform supports our findings' external validity. Using the reform as an instrument for health insurance coverage, we estimate its large impact on overall life-satisfaction. Our results provide novel evidence on the psychological consequences of Massachusetts' healthcare reform.
Subjects: 
health insurance
life satisfaction
happiness
subjective well-being
Massachusetts healthcare reform
JEL: 
I13
I18
I31
Document Type: 
Working Paper

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