HETEROGENEITY,FRICTIONAL ASSIGNMENT,AND HOME-OWNERSHIP

We study the composition of the housing stock across ownership and rental markets in a dynamic model of frictional assignment. Houses are rented or sold to heterogeneous households that sort over quality. Due to matching frictions and an increasing ownership surplus, wealthy households tend to own and lower value housing tends to be rented, even without financial frictions or rental supply constraints. When calibrated to match key housing market features of the average U.S. city, the model is consistent with observed empirical relationships across cities. We study the model's implications for affordability, ownership, and the impact of progressive property taxation.     

Health insurance coverage during the COVID-19 pandemic: The role of Medicaid expansion

Using data from the US Census Bureau's Household Pulse Survey, we analyzed the likelihood of loss of health insurance and enrollment into new health coverage during the early months of the COVID-19 pandemic. Loss of employment was associated with a significant increase in the likelihood of loss of health insurance and, specifically, an increase in the likelihood of employer-sponsored health insurance. However, individuals in Medicaid expansion states experienced a lower likelihood of loss of health insurance compared with individuals in nonexpansion states. At the same time, there was a statistically significant increase in Medicaid enrollment in expansion states, by 3.2 percentage points. Reemployment or acquiring employment was associated with a gain in health insurance coverage. During an economic downturn, eligibility, and coverage gaps leave many without affordable coverage options, and the pandemic will likely bring renewed attention to gaps in Medicaid coverage in nonexpansion states.