Social Costs of Work Disruptions: Evidence from Physicians and their Patients

Work disruptions among women are common and costly for workers and firms, but do consumers also shoulder some of these costs? We study the impact of physicians’ births—a large, temporary shock to women’s labor supply—on their patients’ access to care, using administrative Medicaid claims data from California. Female physicians reduce their office visits by 85% in the quarter after giving birth, but return nearly to pre-birth levels within two years. These supply disruptions generate persistent effects on child patients: those whose primary care physician gives birth are less likely to see their usual physician for up to two years and receive less preventative care, including a 50% reduction in vaccination claims and a 42% reduction in lead testing. In contrast, we find little impact on adult patients. The lasting effects on children coincide with fewer pediatrician encounters overall, consistent with limited availability of substitute providers and the central role of pediatricians in monitoring children’s preventative care. Our findings demonstrate how shocks to women’s labor supply can generate persistent consumer welfare losses.