Public health insurance and migration of farm workers in the U.S

Abstract

ABSTRACT Labour shortages have been a major challenge for U.S. agriculture. Migrant farm workers who constitute a crucial agricultural labour force across the country have experienced a notable decline in recent years. Using the Propensity Score Matching method, this study examines how public health insurance of the Medicaid programme affects the migration of farm workers of different legal statuses. Unlike citizen farm workers, permanent-resident and undocumented farm workers decreased migration across states due to the impact of Medicaid. The findings suggest that a more suitable health insurance design that does not disrupt farm workers’ migration patterns during production seasons is needed to increase agricultural labour supply.