The Impact of Women’s Health Clinic Closures on Fertility
American Journal of Health Economics. Summer 2019;5(3):334-359
An article cowritten by Analysis Group Vice President Yao Lu and published in the American Journal of Health Economics examines the impact of women’s health clinic closures on fertility rates. The study by Dr. Lu and her coauthor David J. G. Slusky, Associate Professor of Economics at the University of Kansas, focused on the state of Texas, where numerous clinics offering women’s health and family planning services closed during the study period.
The authors used data on clinic locations and births from 2008 to 2013 to study the impact of clinic closures, as measured by the driving distance to the nearest clinic from each Texas ZIP code. In their analysis, the authors found that an increase in driving distance to the nearest clinic led to a higher fertility rate at the ZIP code level. They further noted that the impact of clinic closures on fertility rates was not equal among all women, but had the largest impact on fertility rates for unmarried women.
Authors
Lu Y, Slusky DJG