Health insurance eligibility and child health in Peru : an analysis of the "Seguro Materno-Infantil" program

Abstract

In this paper I estimate the impact of Peru’s Seguro Materno‐Infantil on mothers’ and children’s health care utilization and subsequent health outcomes, using a Difference‐in‐ Differences (DiD) design. I exploit the program’s eligibility rule, based on region of residence of the beneficiary and age of the child or prenatal or puerperium stage of the mother. I estimate the effect of the intention to treat using data from the Demographic and Health Surveys (DHS). Results show that the effects of the program on health system utilization are generally positive, although no significant effects are found on the rates of immunization for children enrolled. Moreover, I find that the Seguro Materno‐Infantil had positive and significant effects on child health, measured by anthropometric variables like weight‐for‐height, and weight‐for‐age.