The role of health insurance in joint retirement among married couples

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Author(s)
Uri
Date Issued
November 2006
Date Available
11T16:45:24Z March 2009
Abstract
This paper examines the role of employer provided health insurance in the retirement decisions of dual working couples. The near elderly have high-expected medical expenditures; therefore, availability of health insurance is an important factor in their retirement decisions. We determine if access to retiree health insurance for early retirement enables couples to time their retirement together – a behavior called “joint retirement.” We find that wives’ retiree health insurance more than doubles the propensity to retire jointly, suggesting that health insurance is an important consideration in coordinating retirement decisions among couples. Even though retiree health insurance has a substantial effect on joint retirement, its effect on overall employment patterns is modest, accounting for a 2 percentage point fall in employment.
Sponsorship
Employee Benefits Security Administration, Department of Labor, contract number J-9-P-7-0045
Type of Material
Working Paper
Publisher
University College Dublin. School of Economics
Series
UCD Centre for Economic Research Working Paper Series
WP06/14
Copyright (Published Version)
UCD School of Economics 2006
Keywords
Classification
I1
J32
Web versions
Language
English
Status of Item
Not peer reviewed
This item is made available under a Creative Commons License
Owning collection
Economics Working Papers & Policy Papers