PHS Monday Seminar: Rebecca Myerson, MPH, PhD- “Finding the Missing Enrollees: The Impact of Personalized Assistance on Health Insurance Uptake”

Abstract:
Health insurance coverage is an important determinant of well-being, but enrollment is not automatic. Selecting from the large number of available health insurance products, many of which are highly complex, may be a daunting task for many consumers. I present new evidence on the enrollment impacts of two approaches used by policymakers to assist potential enrollees in health insurance marketplaces. First, I will provide evidence on the impacts of the navigator program, which funded one-on-one assistance, by using Trump-era funding cuts as a natural experiment. Second, I will provide evidence on the impacts of outbound phone calls from Service Center Representatives using a randomized controlled trial research design. The findings from these data highlight the value of personalized assistance for previously hard-to-reach consumers.

Rebecca Myerson Curriculum Vitae