Genetic adverse selection: Evidence from long-term care insurance and Huntington disease

A-Tier
Journal: Journal of Public Economics
Year: 2010
Volume: 94
Issue: 11-12
Pages: 1041-1050

Authors (4)

Oster, Emily (Brown University) Shoulson, Ira (not in RePEc) Quaid, Kimberly (not in RePEc) Dorsey, E. Ray (not in RePEc)

Score contribution per author:

1.005 = (α=2.01 / 4 authors) × 2.0x A-tier

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

Abstract

Individual, personalized genetic information is increasingly available, leading to the possibility of greater adverse selection over time, particularly in individual-payer insurance markets. We use data on individuals at risk for Huntington disease (HD), a degenerative neurological disorder with significant effects on morbidity, to estimate adverse selection in long-term care insurance. We find strong evidence of adverse selection: individuals who carry the HD genetic mutation are up to 5 times as likely as the general population to own long-term care insurance. This finding is supported both by comparing individuals at risk for HD to those in the general population and by comparing across tested individuals in the HD-risk population with and without the HD mutation.

Technical Details

RePEc Handle
repec:eee:pubeco:v:94:y:2010:i:11-12:p:1041-1050
Journal Field
Public
Author Count
4
Added to Database
2026-01-26