Health Insurance and the Boomerang Generation: Did the 2010 ACA Dependent Care Provision Affect Geographic Mobility and Living Arrangements Among Young Adults?

Abstract

We test whether the ACA dependent care provision is associated with young adults’ propensity to live with/near parents and to receive food assistance. Data come from the 2008 Survey of Income and Program Participation. Findings indicate that the provision is associated with a 3.0 percentage point increase in young adults’ living with parents during the period in which the ACA had been passed but the provision was not effective, and a 6.0 percentage point increase during the time between the provision becoming effective and the end of 2013. In some specifications, the provision is associated with reduced use of food assistance.