Social and Behavioral Sciences Commons^™

The Labor Supply And Welfare Effects Of Early Access To Medicare Through Social Security Disability Insurance, Kim

Research Collection School Of Economics

Social Security Disability Insurance (SSDI) beneficiaries receive a cash benefit and become eligible for health insurance from Medicare two years after their enrollment. Disabled workers who leave the labor force typically lose health insurance from their employers, and they face significant medical expenditure risk as a result of their disability. Therefore, access to Medicare makes SSDI an especially attractive alternative to remaining employed for workers with disabilities. My research is the first to analyze the importance of medical expenditure risk and Medicare in analysis of SSDI, and it addresses the following questions: (1) How does access to Medicare via SSDI …