Precautionary Saving and Health Insurance: A Portfolio Choice Perspective

Jiaping Qiu

Author information




DeGroote School of Business, McMaster University, Hamilton, Ontario L8S 4M4, Canada

Email: qiu@mcmaster.ca

Abstract




This paper analyzes the impact of health insurance on household portfolio choice. Using the U.S. Survey of Consumer Finance and Health Retirement Survey databases, it finds that insured households are more likely to own stocks and invest a larger proportion of financial assets in stocks than uninsured households do. The results remain strong even after controlling for household characteristics and reverse causality. Further, the results are robust across different survey years and data sources. It suggests that a precautionary motive is strong in household portfolio choice decisions.

Keywords




precautionary motive, health insurance, portfolio choice

Cite this article




Jiaping Qiu. Precautionary Saving and Health Insurance: A Portfolio Choice Perspective. Front. Econ. China, 2016, 11(2): 232‒264 https://doi.org/10.3868/s060-005-016-0015-0


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