劳动经济学研讨会 （2016年秋季第3期 总第37期）
【时间】2016年11月21日（周一）12：00－13：30 【地点】明德主楼623会议室
【主题】Health Insurance and Fertility Decisions: Evidence from the Affordable Care Act
【主讲】马芥 （西安交通大学金禾经济研究中心助理教授） 【点评】孙文凯 （中国人民大学经济学院副教授） 【Abstract】This study provides evidence of the impact of health insurance on fertility decisions in the context of young adults. The Affordable Care Act young adult provision has been shown to expand private health insurance coverage for the age group 19-25. Having health insurance improves access to family planning services and could reduce unintended pregnancy. It also decreases the price of avoiding a baby by detaching the fertility decision from marriage and sexual behaviors and would lead women to have fewer babies. However, improved health insurance access during pregnancy pays for prenatal care and delivery and can encourage child bearing. Using birth certificate data and a difference-in-differences study design, we examined the impact of the provision on fertility rates, prenatal care and birth outcomes by comparing the affected group to slightly older adults. We found that the young adult provision reduced fertility rates by about 7% in the first 3 years following the policy change. The insurance gain was about 4%, suggesting an elasticity of 1.75. We also found increased the share of children born to unmarried, minority, or less educated mothers. The evidence also suggests that the provision encouraged earlier initiation of prenatal care and reduced maternal smoking and pregnancy complications. However, birth weight and gestational age seemed to be non-responsive to the provision. 主讲人简介：马芥2010年毕业于中国人民大学获经济学本科学位，2016年毕业于美国印第安纳大学获经济学博士学位。她的主要研究领域是健康经济学、医疗卫生政策和公共卫生。马芥已有若干成果发表于国际健康类期刊上。       劳动经济学研讨会继承之前的劳动与发展经济学研讨会，关注劳动经济学热点问题和前沿文献。劳动经济学研讨会的学术活动有两种形式：前沿文献选读和同行学术交流。前沿文献选读由劳动经济学教师团队选择本领域顶尖杂志的前沿文献，采用学生宣讲、老师点评的方式加强人才培养、促进本领域内师生的广泛交流。同行学术交流将邀请相关领域知名学者或顶尖高校毕业的博士就已形成的高水平工作论文进行深入讨论。两类活动将视需要而定频次。欢迎相关领域老师和同学关注并参加！如有意作为点评老师或宣讲学生参加前沿文献选读活动，可以联系经济学院宋扬老师（ys337@ruc.edu.cn）。