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dc.titleHealthy to Work: The Impact of Free Public Healthcare on Health Status and Labor Supply in Jamaica
dc.contributor.authorBeuermann, Diether
dc.contributor.authorPecha, Camilo
dc.contributor.orgunitCountry Department Caribbean Group
dc.coverageJamaica
dc.coverageThe Caribbean
dc.date.available2016-11-22T00:00:00
dc.date.issue2016-11-22T00:00:00
dc.description.abstractThis study examines whether Jamaica's free public healthcare policy affectedhealth status and labor supply of adult individuals. It compares outcomes of adults without health insurance versus their insured counterparts, before and after policy implementation. The study finds that the policy reduced both the likelihood of suffering illnesses with associated lost work days and the number of lost days due to illnesses by 28.6 percent and 34 percent, respectively. Consistent with the absence of "employment lock", no effects are found on employment at the extensive margin. However, consistent with a reduced number of days lost due to illnesses, there is a positive effect of 2.15 additional weekly labor hours. This is primarily a labor supply effect as the study shows that both reported and imputed hourly wages decreased by 0.15 and 0.06 log-points respectively. Back-of-the-envelope calculations suggest that the policy added a yearly average of US$PPP 26.6 million worth of net real production to the economy during the period 2008-12.
dc.format.extent43
dc.identifier.doihttp://dx.doi.org/10.18235/0011773
dc.identifier.urlhttps://publications.iadb.org/publications/english/document/Healthy-to-Work-The-Impact-of-Free-Public-Healthcare-on-Health-Status-and-Labor-Supply-in-Jamaica.pdf
dc.language.isoen
dc.mediumAdobe PDF
dc.publisherInter-American Development Bank
dc.subjectHealth Policy
dc.subjectHealth Insurance
dc.subjectHealth Insurance Coverage
dc.subjectHealth Services
dc.subjectImpact Evaluation
dc.subject.jelcodeH51 - Government Expenditures and Health
dc.subject.jelcodeI1 - Health
dc.subject.jelcodeJ22 - Time Allocation and Labor Supply
dc.subject.jelcodeO12 - Microeconomic Analyses of Economic Development
dc.subject.jelcodeO54 - Latin America • Caribbean
dc.subject.keywordshealth policy;health insurance
dc.typeWorking Papers
idb.identifier.pubnumberWorking Papers
idb.operationJA-P1135
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