Do health plans risk-select? An audit study on Germany's Social Health Insurance

A-Tier
Journal: Journal of Public Economics
Year: 2012
Volume: 96
Issue: 9-10
Pages: 750-759

Score contribution per author:

4.022 = (α=2.01 / 1 authors) × 2.0x A-tier

α: calibrated so average coauthorship-adjusted count equals average raw count

Abstract

This paper evaluates whether health plans in Germany's Social Health Insurance select on an easily observable predictor of risk: geography. To identify plan behavior separately from concurrent demand-side adverse selection, I implement a double-blind audit study in which plans are contacted by fictitious applicants from different locations. I find that plans are less likely to respond and follow-up with applicants from higher-cost regions, such as West Germany. The results suggest that supply-side selection may emerge even in heavily regulated insurance markets. The prospect of risk selection by firms has implications for studies of demand-side selection and regulatory policy in these settings.

Technical Details

RePEc Handle
repec:eee:pubeco:v:96:y:2012:i:9:p:750-759
Journal Field
Public
Author Count
1
Added to Database
2026-01-24