Were Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act spillover gains to private dental coverage for dependents widely shared? An analysis using Medical Expenditure Panel Survey data

摘要

Background. The dependent coverage mandate policy of the Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act led to spillover increases in private dental coverage among affected young adults. The authors investigate whether such gains were widely shared across racial or ethnic groups and shared across income levels. The authors further explore the relationship between dental coverage and dental services use stratified by race or ethnicity and income using the mandate as a natural experiment.