BIO

I am a dedicated freshman honors student at Florida State University pursuing a major in finance. Hailing from Miami, Florida, I possess a strong passion for the intersection of business and law and am keenly interested in pursuing a career in this field. Alongside my academic pursuits, I am currently serving as a legislative intern for Senator Jason Pizzo in the Florida Senate, where I am gaining valuable experience in public service and legislative affairs.

Exploring the Relationship between ACA Enrollments and State-level Unemployment Rates: A Statistical Analysis

Abstract

The Affordable Care Act (ACA) was implemented to expand access to health insurance coverage to millions of Americans, particularly those who were previously uninsured. While the primary focus of the ACA was to provide affordable health care coverage, it is also believed to have potential economic implications, particularly in relation to employment rates. This study aimed to examine the correlation between ACA enrollments and unemployment rates at the state-level. Using data from the United States Census Bureau and the Bureau of Labor Statistics, we analyzed the relationship between the number of ACA enrollees and unemployment rates across all 50 states for the period between 2015 and 2021. We scrutinized for significant correlation between the two variables through regression analysis. Disregarding year, when examining total enrollments and unemployment rates across all fifty states, our results showed a statistically significant positive correlation between ACA enrollments and unemployment rates. Specifically, a 1% increase in the unemployment was associated with roughly a 0.075% increase in the total number of enrollments. But when analyzed over time, there is a positive correlation between state-level unemployment rates and ACA enrollments for that particular year. The Covid 19 pandemic also caused an increase in enrollments, which is shown alongside the significant increase in the unemployment rate. Our study provides evidence of a positive relationship between ACA enrollments and unemployment rates over seven consecutive years. This finding has important implications for policymakers seeking to enhance the effectiveness of the ACA and aide future legislative decisions.   

Keywords: Insurance, Affordable Care Act, ACA, Employment, Statistics, Public Policy