A new study measures the effects elections can have on peoples physical wellbeing by looking at medical health insurance claims. The overall trend may not be surprising, but the intensity is.
Elections are obviously stressful times for a country: Voters are tasked with a momentous decision – and are bombarded with endless punditry, analysis, messaging, and political debate about each candidate during long election cycles.
Until now, research has never established a relationship between elections and public health, but Hung-Hao Chang and Chad Meyerhoefer, of National Taiwan University and Lehigh University, respectively, examined health care claims from Taiwan. This study looks at the health care claims from 900 people’s insurance, which allows a unique look at cost as well. The study’s results found that health care use and expenditure for young adults increased 17% to 19% for presidential elections, and rose 7% to 8% for local mayoral elections. This young adult segment of the population is one that is traditionally healthier. Tellingly, these elevated numbers did not persist after the election periods.
In terms of actual dollars, the research calculated that it was around $1.3 billion, or $118 per person for the 2008 Taiwanese election over the 28-day campaign period. Since all of the campaign periods were the same length, the researchers couldn’t speak to the effects of a shorter or longer campaign period.
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