Retiree Health Insurance and the Labor Force Behavior of Older Men in the 1990s

We estimate the impact of employer-provided retiree health insurance (EPRHI) on the labor force transitions of men aged 51 to 62. Data from the Health and Retirement Survey provide detailed and accurate measures of retiree health insurance. Availability of EPRHI increases the rate of exit from emplo...

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Bibliographic Details
Published in:The review of economics and statistics 2001-02, Vol.83 (1), p.64-80
Main Authors: Blau, David M., Gilleskie, Donna B.
Format: Article
Language:English
Subjects:
Age
Aged
Economic aspects
Economic theory
Employment
Employment statistics
Health insurance
Health insurance industry
Influence
Labor economics
Labor force
Labor supply
Medical policy
Medicare
Men
Older people
Retirees
Retirement
Retirement age
Retirement benefits
Scope of employment
Services
Social Security benefits
Spouses
Studies
Workforce
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Summary:We estimate the impact of employer-provided retiree health insurance (EPRHI) on the labor force transitions of men aged 51 to 62. Data from the Health and Retirement Survey provide detailed and accurate measures of retiree health insurance. Availability of EPRHI increases the rate of exit from employment by two percentage points per year if the individual shares the cost of the insurance with the firm, and by six percentage points if the firm pays the entire cost. The impact of cost-shared EPRHI on the annual rate of labor force exit increases with age, reaching 7.5 percentage points by age 61.
ISSN:0034-6535
1530-9142
DOI:10.1162/003465301750160045