Will you be covered during the next recession? Unequal safety-nets for private health insurance in the United States

Sohn, Heeju

Abstract Health insurance coverage for working-age adults in the United States is still predominantly determined by their jobs or their spouse’s jobs. This article revealed that SES disparities in access to a spouse’s coverage as a safety-net significantly contributed to the inequities in coverage loss during economic instability. Using the longitudinal Survey of Income and Program Participation (1996-2012), this article examines insurance transitions between socioeconomic groups during the two most recent recessions in the United States. The SES disparity in private coverage spiked during periods of high job-loss. Higher SES men’s and women’s coverages were barely affected as they became insured by their spouses even as they lost their own. Wives’ insurance plans played a large role in mitigating declines in higher SES men’s coverages during the 2008 recession.