Econ Papers Daily / 期刊论文
美国扩大避孕药具经济可及性能否减少意外怀孕？来自M-CARES随机对照试验两年期的证据
Does Increasing Financial Access to Contraception in the U.S. Reduce Unintended Pregnancies? Evidence from the M-CARES Randomized Controlled Trial at Two Years
摘要
We use a randomized controlled trial to examine how out-of-pocket costs affect contraceptive method choice, pregnancy, abortion, and childbirth among uninsured U.S. women. The study recruited women seeking care through Title X—a national family planning program subsidizing reproductive health services for low-income Americans—and randomized vouchers, making the full spectrum of contraception highly discounted or free. We find that subsidizing contraception has large and persistent effects on the choice of contraceptive method, resulting in significantly fewer pregnancies and abortions at 26 months. The effects on births are inconclusive.
中文摘要
我们采用随机对照试验，考察自付费用如何影响美国无保险女性的避孕方法选择、怀孕、堕胎及分娩。研究招募了通过Title X——一项为低收入美国人提供生殖健康服务补贴的国家计划生育项目——寻求护理的女性，并随机分配代金券，使全面避孕措施大幅折扣或免费。我们发现，补贴避孕对避孕方法的选择产生了显著且持久的影响，在26个月时导致怀孕和堕胎数量显著减少。对分娩的影响则尚无定论。