Healthcare Demand in the Presence of Discrete Price Changes

B-Tier
Journal: Health Economics
Year: 2015
Volume: 24
Issue: 9
Pages: 1164-1177

Score contribution per author:

0.670 = (α=2.01 / 3 authors) × 1.0x B-tier

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

Abstract

Deductibles in health insurance generate nonlinear budget sets and dynamic incentives. Using detailed individual health expenditure data from a Swiss health insurer, we estimate the response in healthcare demand to the discrete price increase generated by resetting the deductible at the start of each calendar year. We find that for individuals with high deductibles, healthcare demand drops by 27%. The decrease is most pronounced for inpatient care and prescription drugs. By contrast, for individuals with low deductibles, there is no significant change in healthcare demand (except for prescription drugs). Overall our results suggest that healthy individuals respond much stronger to the price change. Copyright © 2015 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.

Technical Details

RePEc Handle
repec:wly:hlthec:v:24:y:2015:i:9:p:1164-1177
Journal Field
Health
Author Count
3
Added to Database
2026-01-25