Medicaid expansion and the U.S. secular boom : the crowding out of religion's social insurance function

Abstract

Since 1990 the share of the U.S. population claiming no religion has more than doubled. This paper analyzes the causes of this “secular boom” using the conception of religious organizations as informal insurance providers. Applying panel estimation techniques to data from the General Social Survey and Religious Congregations & Membership Study, my results consistently demonstrate that the growth in the non-religious population was caused by the massive expansion of public assistance medical benefits, principally Medicaid, in the early 90’s. Transmission mechanisms are discussed, including the role of religious public hospitals.