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American Economic Review Vol. 101 No. 3 2011

Have Gender Gaps in Insurance Coverage and Access to Care Narrowed under Health Reform? Findings from Massachusetts

Sharon K. Long1; Karen Stockley2; Shanna Shulman3

1 University of Minnesota, School of Public Health, Division of Health Policy and Management, 2221 University Avenue SE, Suite 345, Minneapolis, MN 55414. · 2 Urban Institute, 2100 M Street, NW, Washington, DC 20037. · 3 Blue Cross Blue Shield of Massachusetts Foundation, Landmark Center, 401 Park Drive, Boston, MA 02215.

Abstract

Under its health reform legislation, Massachusetts has achieved near universal insurance coverage, along with significant gains in health care access and affordability. This paper examines the impacts of health reform in Massachusetts on differences in coverage, access, and affordability for women and men. We find that both women and men gained under health reform, with the gender gap in insurance coverage narrowed as men's coverage increased relative to that of women. However, the gaps in access and affordability of care have not narrowed—women in Massachusetts continue to report more unmet need for care and problems affording care than men.

DOI
10.1257/aer.101.3.640
Volume
101
Issue
3
Pages
640-644
Language
en
Sources
bibtex:phds-export.bib openalex crossref

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