Low take-up by elderly Americans in most means-tested federal programs is a persistent and puzzling phenomenon. This paper seeks to measure the causal effect of the benefit levels on elderly enrollment in two public assistance programs – the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP) and the Supplemental Security Income (SSI) program – by using the variation in SNAP and SSI eligibility and benefit levels introduced by Social Security retirement benefits. Our findings are three-fold. First, the low take-up among the elderly is not driven by changes in the composition of the eligible pool: individuals who become eligible as they age exhibit average take-up patterns that are similar to those who were eligible before reaching Social Security benefit claiming ages. Second, Social Security has a significant impact on the use of public assistance programs among the elderly, because the increase in income decreases the potential benefits available from public programs. Third, we estimate different behavioral responses to SNAP and SSI programs: a $100 increase in SSI benefits leads to a 4-6-percentage-point increase in the probability of taking up SSI, but we are unable to estimate consistent results on how benefits impact the take up for SNAP. Together with the fact that eligible individuals who begin receiving Social Security benefits continue to participate in SSI more often than they maintain SNAP enrollment, we posit that the different estimated behavioral responses could be due to individual preferences for cash over in-kind transfers.
Aging
Evaluating the Economic Impact of Palliative and End-of-Life Care Interventions on Intensive Care Unit Utilization and Costs from the Hospital and Healthcare System Perspective
Khandelwal, N, LC Brumback, SD Halpern, NB Coe, B Brumback, JR Curtis. “Evaluating the Economic Impact of Palliative and End-of-Life Care Interventions on ICU Utilization and Costs from the Hospital and Healthcare System Perspective.” Journal of Palliative Medicine. 2017. Dec; 20(12):1314-1320. DOI: 10.1089/jpm.2016.0548. PMID: 28972860.
End-of-Life Expenditure in the ICU and Perceived Quality of Dying
Khandelwal, N, RA Engelberg, D Benkeser, NB Coe, JR Curtis. “End-of-Life Expenditure in the ICU and Perceived Quality of Dying.” CHEST 2014. 146(6):1594-1603.
The Effects of the Taxation of Social Security Benefits on Older Workers’ Income and Claiming Decisions
Burman, L, NB Coe, K Pierce, and L Tian. “The Effects of the Taxation of Social Security Benefits on Older Workers’ Income and Claiming Decisions.” National Tax Journal. 2014. 67(2), 459-486.
What Impact Does Social Security Have on the Use of Public Assistance Programs among the Elderly?
Coe, NB, and AY Wu. “What Impact Does Social Security Have on the Use of Public Assistance Programs among the Elderly?” Research in Labor Economics. 2014. 39:259-295.
Older Taxpayers’ Response to Taxation of Social Security Benefits
Burman, L, NB Coe, K Pierce, and L Tian. “Older Taxpayers’ Response to Taxation of Social Security Benefits.” IRS Research Bulletin. 2013.
Effects of Public Policies on the Disposition of Pre-Retirement Lump-Sum Distributions: Rational and Behavioral Influences
Burman, L, NB Coe, M Dworsky and WG Gale. “Effects of Public Policies on the Disposition of Pre-Retirement Lump-Sum Distributions: Rational and Behavioral Influences.” National Tax Journal 2012; 65(4).
The Effect of Retirement on Cognitive Functioning
Coe, NB, HM von Gaudecker, M Lindeboom, and J Maurer. “The Effect of Retirement on Cognitive Functioning.” Health Economics 2012; 21(8):913-927.
Retirement effects on health in Europe
Coe, NB, and G Zamarro. “Retirement Effects on Health in Europe.” Journal of Health Economics 2011; 30: 77-86.
Lump Sum Distributions from Pension Plans: Recent Evidence and Issues for Policy Research
Burman, L, NB, Coe, and WG Gale. “Lump Sum Distributions from Pension Plans: Recent Evidence and Issues for Policy Research.” National Tax Journal 1999, 52(3): 553-62.
Patterns of Cost for Patients Dying in the ICU and Implications for Cost Savings of Palliative Care Interventions
Khandelwal N, D Benkeser, NB Coe, RA Engelberg, JM Teno, JR Curtis. “Patterns of Cost for Patients Dying in the ICU and Implications for Cost Savings of Palliative Care Interventions.” Journal of Palliative Medicine. 2016. November, 19(11): 1171-1178. doi:10.1089/jpm.2016.0133.