Author ORCID Identifier
Date of Award
Summer 8-7-2024
Degree Type
Dissertation
Degree Name
Doctor of Philosophy (PhD)
Department
Economics
First Advisor
Dr. Michael F. Pesko
Second Advisor
Dr. Lauren Hoehn-Velasco
Third Advisor
Dr. James Marton
Fourth Advisor
Dr. Jason M. Lindo
Abstract
This dissertation comprises two chapters, each addressing significant topics in health and public economics. The first chapter examines the long-term intergenerational effects of abortion legalization in the U.S. that began in the late 1960s and culminated with the Roe v. Wade decision. This study focuses on analyzing the life-cycle health outcomes of children conceived during the era of legal abortion, with an emphasis on cohort survival rates. The second chapter, coauthored with Hasan Shahid and Shyam Raman, explores how states respond to exogenous changes in federal funding for the provision of life-saving HIV/AIDS treatments in the U.S.
Chapter I: The legalization of abortion in the U.S. during 1969-1973 led to significant improvements in the health, educational, and economic outcomes of women directly affected by this policy, as shown by previous research. In this study, I analyze how children born to these women and exposed in-utero to abortion legalization, fare in life, particularly in terms of lifecycle health. I leverage the state-level variation in changes to abortion laws predating Roe v. Wade as well as the changes brought about by Roe v. Wade. I implement difference-in-difference and event study techniques on data from restricted-use administrative microdata on births and deaths in the U.S. I find that the likelihood of cohorts conceived under legal abortion surviving improves throughout the life course, though the magnitude varies depending on age and specification.
Chapter II: As part of the Ryan White HIV/AIDS program, the AIDS Drug Assistance Program (ADAP) serves as a payer of last resort for people living with HIV (PLWH) who are uninsured or underinsured and have a low income. ADAP provides recipients with access to life-saving antiretroviral treatments. The ADAP program is funded through a combination of federal and state funds but is administered by the state. We exploit a rule change which was part of the 2006 reauthorization of the Ryan White Care Act and resulted in an exogenous shock to federal funding for ADAPs. Using this unique setting and instrumental variable strategy, the study finds that changes in federal contributions to ADAPs have a near dollar-to-dollar effect on state ADAP expenditures, and increased federal funding results in an increased number of clients served. These findings underscore the importance of federal support for ADAPs in providing critical care for people living with HIV.
DOI
https://doi.org/10.57709/37436289
Recommended Citation
Farin, Sherajum, "Essays in Health Economics." Dissertation, Georgia State University, 2024.
doi: https://doi.org/10.57709/37436289