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Do Doctors Improve the Health Care of Their Parents? Evidence from Admission Lotteries

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  • Elisabeth Artmann
  • Hessel Oosterbeek
  • Bas van der Klaauw

Abstract

To assess the importance of unequal access to medical expertise and services, we estimate the causal effects of having a child who is a doctor on parents' mortality and health care use. We use data from parents of almost 22,000 participants in admission lotteries to medical school in the Netherlands. Our findings indicate that informal access to medical expertise and services is not an important cause of differences in health care use and mortality.

Suggested Citation

  • Elisabeth Artmann & Hessel Oosterbeek & Bas van der Klaauw, 2022. "Do Doctors Improve the Health Care of Their Parents? Evidence from Admission Lotteries," American Economic Journal: Applied Economics, American Economic Association, vol. 14(3), pages 164-184, July.
  • Handle: RePEc:aea:aejapp:v:14:y:2022:i:3:p:164-84
    DOI: 10.1257/app.20190629
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    Cited by:

    1. Ida Lykke Kristiansen & Sophie Yanying Sheng, 2022. "Doctor Who? The Effect of Physician-Patient Match on The SES-Health Gradient," CEBI working paper series 22-05, University of Copenhagen. Department of Economics. The Center for Economic Behavior and Inequality (CEBI).
    2. Frakes, Michael & Gruber, Jonathan & Jena, Anupam, 2021. "Is great information good enough? Evidence from physicians as patients," Journal of Health Economics, Elsevier, vol. 75(C).
    3. Amy Finkelstein & Petra Persson & Maria Polyakova & Jesse M. Shapiro, 2022. "A Taste of Their Own Medicine: Guideline Adherence and Access to Expertise," American Economic Review: Insights, American Economic Association, vol. 4(4), pages 507-526, December.
    4. Madia, Joan Eliel & Präg, Patrick & Monden, Christiaan Willem Simon, 2022. "Does Children’s Education Improve Parental Longevity? Evidence From Two Educational Reforms in England," SocArXiv 9n8q5, Center for Open Science.

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    More about this item

    JEL classification:

    • H51 - Public Economics - - National Government Expenditures and Related Policies - - - Government Expenditures and Health
    • I11 - Health, Education, and Welfare - - Health - - - Analysis of Health Care Markets
    • I12 - Health, Education, and Welfare - - Health - - - Health Behavior
    • I14 - Health, Education, and Welfare - - Health - - - Health and Inequality
    • I18 - Health, Education, and Welfare - - Health - - - Government Policy; Regulation; Public Health

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