Essays in Health and Labor Economics

This dissertation aims to examine the effects of economic and policy factors on individual health and labor market outcomes using micro level data from the United States. Study one examines the effects of state level minimum wage changes alongside Medicaid expansion, as part of the Patient Protections and Affordable Care Act, on an individual's decision to invest preventative healthcare and mental health. Through the use of a continuous difference in difference model it finds that minimum wages improve mental health for both males and females. In addition, it finds that Medicaid expansion leads to an increased prevalence in annual checkups and annual flu shot adherence for both genders as well. Study two examines the effects of state level minimum wage changes on infant birth outcomes of younger and older mothers. Through the use of a continuous difference in difference model with a rich set of control variables including demographics, birth characteristics, insurance coverage and state-year time fixed effects it finds mixed results across mothers of different age ranges. It finds that minimum wages have limited effects on decreasing adverse birth outcomes for teenage mothers, but show a larger impact for older mothers in their twenties and thirties on Medicaid. Finally, study three examines the demographic makeup of both discouraged and marginally attached workers over a thirty year time period from 1994 - 2024. It finds that the proportion of these workers with less than a high school diploma has been decreasing, while the proportion with a high school diploma or GED as their highest level of education has been increasing. It also finds that a slightly larger proportion of marginally attached workers report being male. These three studies aim to closely examine the effects that different policies, economic factors, and demographic characteristics have on health and labor market outcomes.