Graduation Year
2025
Document Type
Dissertation
Degree
Ph.D.
Degree Name
Doctor of Philosophy (Ph.D.)
Degree Granting Department
Economics
Major Professor
Padmaja Ayyagari, Ph.D.
Committee Member
Giulia La Mattina, Ph.D.
Committee Member
Gabriel Picone, Ph.D.
Committee Member
Troy Quast, Ph.D.
Keywords
Cognition, Health Behaviors, Job Loss, Medicaid Expansion, Mental health, Worker’s Compensation
Abstract
This dissertation investigates the influence of health policies and employment disruptions on individual health, behavior, and cognitive outcomes, utilizing quasi-experimental methods to address causal inference challenges across three distinct studies.
The first chapter examines the effects of Medicaid expansion under the Affordable Care Act on workers' compensation claims, leveraging variation in insurance coverage resulting from the policy change. Employing a difference-in-differences (DID) approach and a staggered DID framework following Callaway & Sant'Anna, this study uses data from the Current Population Survey’s Annual Social and Economic Supplements (ASEC). The findings reveal that despite increasing insurance coverage, Medicaid expansion did not significantly impact the probability or amount of workers' compensation claims, suggesting limited spillover effects into the workers' compensation system.
The second chapter explores how the Mental Health Parity and Addiction Equity Act (MHPAEA) shaped health behaviors by expanding access to mental health care. Utilizing data from the Behavioral Risk Factor Surveillance System (BRFSS) and applying both a two-way fixed effects model and a DID approach, the study finds that greater access to office-based mental health providers leads to healthier behaviors, including reduced alcohol consumption, increased physical activity, and lower obesity rates. These results highlight the broader public health benefits of improving mental health care accessibility.
The third chapter, co-authored with Dr. Ayyagari, investigates the cognitive impacts of involuntary job loss among older adults, focusing on business closures to mitigate endogeneity concerns. Using data from the Health and Retirement Study (HRS), the analysis employs a multiple linear regression model alongside a doubly robust estimation approach. The results indicate that involuntary job loss negatively affects cognitive functioning, particularly episodic memory, emphasizing the lasting cognitive risks associated with employment instability.
Together, these studies contribute to the understanding of how policy interventions and economic shocks shape health and well-being, offering valuable insights for policymakers aiming to promote resilience in the face of health and labor market disruptions.
Scholar Commons Citation
Nie, Jingxin, "Three Essays Exploring the Interaction between Health and Labor Market Outcomes" (2025). USF Tampa Graduate Theses and Dissertations.
https://digitalcommons.usf.edu/etd/10984
