Evaluating The Labor Market Market Impacts of a Single-Payer Healthcare System in the United States
Open Access
Author:
Sheridan, Noel
Area of Honors:
Finance
Degree:
Bachelor of Science
Document Type:
Thesis
Thesis Supervisors:
Ewout Verriest, Thesis Supervisor Brian Spangler Davis, Thesis Honors Advisor
Keywords:
Labor Single-Payer Healthcare Health Insurance
Abstract:
This thesis evaluates the labor-market impacts of a particular single-payer healthcare proposal, the Medicare-for-All Act of 2017. We find that, using these assumptions as a starting point, such a proposal would lead to an overall welfare gain among the American populace of approximately .86%. Large welfare gains would be found in lower-income groups, while welfare losses would occur for higher income earners and particular sections of the population, such as administrative workers in private health insurance. The plan will require $32 Trillion of new funding over the next 10 years and will result in the elimination of Private Health Insurance in the United States. There will be a utility increase in aggregate for those earning under $100,000, approximately 65% of the population, and a utility decrease for incomes higher than that number. There will be an increase in take-home pay after taxes and health insurance for those earning $84,000 or less, approximately 58% of the population, and a utility decrease thereafter.
