Overview
Angela Wyse is a PhD candidate at the University of Chicago Harris School of Public Policy. Her 2023 job market paper, co-authored with Bruce D. Meyer, is the largest quasi-experimental study of ACA Medicaid expansion and mortality to date, using an administrative linkage of 37.5 million low-income adults across the 2010 Census, IRS tax records, CMS Medicaid enrollment data, and SSA Numident mortality records. The paper uses a preregistered analysis plan — only the second nonexperimental economics study to do so — and finds that Medicaid expansions reduced annual mortality hazard by 2.5% (ITT) or 21% for new enrollees (TOT).
Key Contributions / Features
- Co-author with Bruce D. Meyer of Wyse and Meyer (2023), "Saved by Medicaid: New Evidence on Health Insurance and Mortality from the Universe of Low-Income Adults." Linked the 2010 Census to IRS MAGI income records, CMS Medicaid enrollment data, and SSA Numident mortality records to construct a universe of 37.5 million non-disabled low-income adults ages 19–59. Staggered DiD on ACA Medicaid expansion timing; discrete-time proportional hazard model; preregistered analysis plan (second nonexperimental economics study to do this). Main results: −2.5% ITT annual mortality hazard; −21% TOT for new enrollees; ~27,400 lives saved 2010–2022; 179Kperlife−yearsaved(5.4M per life, below $10–11M federal VSL). Key policy finding: universal Medicaid closes only 5–20% of the Q1–Q5 income-mortality gap, indicating that insurance is not the predominant driver of SES health disparities. Novel young adult finding: external causes (overdose, suicide, homicide) account for >80% of ages 19–29 deaths; Medicaid may reduce these via SUD/mental health treatment coverage added under ACA. See Medicaid and Mortality.
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