by Jeffrey K. Lee

Abstract 

This paper assesses whether the enactment of the State Children’s Health
Insurance Program (SCHIP) in 1997, which significantly expanded child health care
coverage, affected the probability of marriage for mothers in the United States. Using
March CPS data from 1998-2003, I estimate the effect of a variant of state health
insurance generosity towards children on the probability of the mother’s marriage. When
limiting my analysis to the population affected by SCHIP expansions, I find strong
evidence of an “independence effect;” mothers are generally less likely (by 1 to 3%) to be
married when their state of residence expands in coverage, with some mothers facing
much larger percentage decreases in marriage probability. My results also reveal a
disparity in incentive effects depending on the mother’s situation, as some groups
experience a slight increase in their probability of marriage when state health insurance
coverage increases.

Professor Marjorie McElroy, Faculty Advisor

JEL Codes: D1, G22

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