Health insurance and labor supply: Evidence from same‐sex couples.

This paper examines labor supply effects of policies allowing public sector workers to include same‐sex partners in employer‐sponsored insurance plans. Unlike broader partnership recognition rights, these policies focus narrowly on insurance access. I find gendered labor supply responses: women in s...

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Published in:Contemporary Economic Policy Vol. 44; no. 2; pp. 253 - 275
Main Author: Wurm, Elisabeth
Format: Article
Published: Wiley-Blackwell Apr2026
Subjects:
Online Access:View this record in EBSCOhost
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        atl: Health insurance and labor supply: Evidence from same‐sex couples.
      aug:
        au: Wurm, Elisabeth
        affil: Department of Economics, Central European University, Vienna, Austria
      su:
        Labor supply
        Gender differences (Sociology)
        Health insurance
        Civil service
        Income
        Policy analysis
        Employer-sponsored health insurance
        Gay couples
      sug:
        subj:
          Labor supply
          Gender differences (Sociology)
          Health insurance
          Civil service
          Income
          Policy analysis
          Other General Government Support
          Direct individual life, health and medical insurance carriers
          Direct group life, health and medical insurance carriers
          Temporary Help Services
          Employer-sponsored health insurance
          Gay couples
      keyword:
        health insurance
        labor supply
        policy analysis
        same‐sex couples
        spousal insurance coverage
        health insurance
        labor supply
        policy analysis
        same‐sex couples
        spousal insurance coverage
      ab: This paper examines labor supply effects of policies allowing public sector workers to include same‐sex partners in employer‐sponsored insurance plans. Unlike broader partnership recognition rights, these policies focus narrowly on insurance access. I find gendered labor supply responses: women in same‐sex couples reduce their labor supply when gaining insurance access (−3.3pp), while men's labor supply remains unchanged. The effects are roughly half the size of those seen with broader partnership rights but follow the same gendered pattern. Lower household income and health conditions amplify labor supply responses; child care does not seem to be a key factor.
      pubtype: Academic Journal
      doctype: Article
      src: R
    language: English
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