NB21-13: The Effect of Health Insurance Affordability on the Employment of People with Disabilities

During the recent economic expansion, there was a sharp and surprising increase in the number of people exiting the DI program because of successful return to work. During the same period, national survey data recorded a sustained increase in the employment rate of people with disabilities—the first such increase to occur after decades of decline. This project analyzes these unprecedented trend reversals and considers two complementary explanations: the greater availability of health insurance under the Affordable Care Act and the greater availability of certain job types.