Should asset testing be used in means-tested programs? These programs target low-income people, but low income can result not only from low productivity but also from low labor supply. We aim to show that in the asymmetric information environment, there is a positive role for asset testing. We...

How does the value of life affect annuity demand? To address this question, we construct a portfolio choice problem with three key features: i) agents have access to life-contingent assets, ii) they always prefer living to dying, iii) agents have non-expected utility preferences. We show that as...

What are the cumulative effects of health shocks over the life-cycle? The answer depends on the nature of persistence of bad health and the extent to which it changes individuals' economic circumstances. We measure the lifetime costs of bad health using a rich structural model that can reproduce...

What are the cumulative effects of health shocks over the life-cycle? The answer depends on the nature of persistence of bad health and the extent to which it changes individuals' economic circumstances. We measure the lifetime costs of bad health using a rich structural model that can reproduce...

A major source of insurance coverage for non-elderly adults in the US is employer-based health insurance market. Every participant of this market gets a tax subsidy since premiums are excluded from taxable income. However, people have different incentives to participate in the employer-based...