Higher Benefit for Greater Need: Understanding Changes in Mental Well-being of Young Adults Following the ACA Dependent Coverage Mandate.

Higher Benefit for Greater Need: Understanding Changes in Mental Well-being of Young Adults Following the ACA Dependent Coverage Mandate. J Ment Health Policy Econ. 2018 Dec 01;21(4):171-180 Authors: Shane DM, Wehby GL Abstract BACKGROUND: Beginning in late 2010, private health insurance plans were required to allow dependents up to age 26 to remain on a parent's plan. Known as the dependent coverage or young adult mandate, this provision increased coverage substantially within the group of 19-25 year-olds affected by the policy change. Subsequent work evaluating whether increased coverage had a positive effect on mental health found mild improvements in self-reported mental health. This work focused exclusively on average effects among young adults in the years after the policy change, leaving open the question of how young adults fared depending on where they reside in terms of the distribution of risk for mental health issues. AIMS OF THE STUDY: We assess the effects of the dependent coverage mandate on young adult mental well-being focusing on the distribution of mental health issues. We seek to understand how potential improvements (or degradations) differ across the entire risk profile. Gains among individuals who are at low risk for severe mental health issues may send a far different signal than gains among those with higher risks. METHODS: Using MEPS data from 2006 through 2013, we use quantile regression wit...
Source: Journal of Mental Health Policy and Economics - Category: Psychiatry Tags: J Ment Health Policy Econ Source Type: research