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Revisiting the axiom of completeness in health care

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Author Info
Mandy Ryan (Health Economics Research Unit, University of Aberdeen, Foresterhill Aberdeen, Scotland, UK)
Fernando San Miguel (Health Economics Research Unit, University of Aberdeen, Foresterhill Aberdeen, Scotland, UK)
Abstract

Experiments concerned with modelling individual preferences are based on the assumption of completeness i.e. it is assumed that individuals have well-defined preferences for any choice they are presented with. However, this may not be the case for goods such as health care, where individuals are not used to making choices. If this assumption is violated, the large body of experimental economic literature eliciting patient preferences in health care may be challenged. This paper reports the results of a discrete choice experiment carried out to examine the assumption of complete preferences within health care. The tests carried out are based on the comparison of preferences for three different goods for which different levels of formed preferences are expected: a supermarket; dentist consultation and bowel cancer screening. The results do not provide sufficient evidence to support this hypothesis. However, further research is required before these results are generalised. Copyright © 2002 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.

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File URL: http://hdl.handle.net/10.1002/hec.730
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Publisher Info
Article provided by John Wiley & Sons, Ltd. in its journal Health Economics.

Volume (Year): 12 (2003)
Issue (Month): 4 ()
Pages: 295-307
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Handle: RePEc:wly:hlthec:v:12:y:2003:i:4:p:295-307

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References listed on IDEAS
Please report citation or reference errors to , or , if you are the registered author of the cited work, log in to your RePEc Author Service profile, click on "citations" and make appropriate adjustments.:
  1. Clark, Judy & Burgess, Jacquelin & Harrison, Carolyn M., 2000. ""I struggled with this money business": respondents' perspectives on contingent valuation," Ecological Economics, Elsevier, vol. 33(1), pages 45-62, April. [Downloadable!] (restricted)
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  6. Wang, Hua, 1997. "Treatment of "Don't-Know" Responses in Contingent Valuation Surveys: A Random Valuation Model," Journal of Environmental Economics and Management, Elsevier, vol. 32(2), pages 219-232, February. [Downloadable!] (restricted)
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  8. Cookson, Richard, 2000. "Incorporating psycho-social considerations into health valuation: an experimental study," Journal of Health Economics, Elsevier, vol. 19(3), pages 369-401, May. [Downloadable!] (restricted)
  9. Alan Shiell & Janelle Seymour & Penelope Hawe & Sue Cameron, 2000. "Are preferences over health states complete?," Health Economics, John Wiley & Sons, Ltd., vol. 9(1), pages 47-55.
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  17. Tversky, Amos & Kahneman, Daniel, 1991. "Loss Aversion in Riskless Choice: A Reference-Dependent Model," The Quarterly Journal of Economics, MIT Press, vol. 106(4), pages 1039-61, November. [Downloadable!] (restricted)
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Cited by:
(explanations, Please report citation or reference errors to , or , if you are the registered author of the cited work, log in to your RePEc Author Service profile, click on "citations" and make appropriate adjustments.)

  1. Fernando San Miguel & Mandy Ryan & Mabelle Amaya-Amaya, 2005. "'Irrational' stated preferences: a quantitative and qualitative investigation," Health Economics, John Wiley & Sons, Ltd., vol. 14(3), pages 307-322. [Downloadable!]
  2. Mandy Ryan & Mabelle Amaya-Amaya, 2005. "'Threats' to and hopes for estimating benefits," Health Economics, John Wiley & Sons, Ltd., vol. 14(6), pages 609-619. [Downloadable!]
  3. Emily Lancsar & Jordan Louviere, 2006. "Deleting 'irrational' responses from discrete choice experiments: a case of investigating or imposing preferences?," Health Economics, John Wiley & Sons, Ltd., vol. 15(8), pages 797-811. [Downloadable!]
  4. Matthew Berman & Andrea Fenaughty, 2005. "Technology and managed care: patient benefits of telemedicine in a rural health care network," Health Economics, John Wiley & Sons, Ltd., vol. 14(6), pages 559-573. [Downloadable!]
  5. Mandy Ryan & Verity Watson & Vikki Entwistle, 2009. "Rationalising the 'irrational': a think aloud study of discrete choice experiment responses," Health Economics, John Wiley & Sons, Ltd., vol. 18(3), pages 321-336. [Downloadable!]
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