Health insurance in the USA for most of the non-aged population is provided as a fringe benefit that is received by an adult family member as part of his or her compensation package. In husband and wife households health insurance is more likely to be part of the husband's compensation package than the wife's compensation package. However, when a husband does not have employer-provided health insurance, his wife may seek health insurance through an employer. Because health insurance through one's employer typically requires that a worker is a full-time employee, spousal health insurance coverage for wives is predicted to influence their labour supply decisions. Parametric and semiparametric statistical models using March 1993 CPS data show wives without spousal health benefits are more likely to work full-time than those who do have spousal health benefits.
