IDEAS home Printed from https://ideas.repec.org/p/hhs/hastef/0192.html
   My bibliography  Save this paper

Time Spent on Waiting Lists for Medical Care: An Insurance Approach

Author

Listed:
  • Johannesson, Magnus

    (Dept. of Economics, Stockholm School of Economics)

  • Johansson, Per-Olov

    (Dept. of Economics, Stockholm School of Economics)

  • Söderqvist, Tore

    (The Beijer Institute)

Abstract

In this paper, we develop a simple model of the benefits and costs of being on a waiting list. The model shows that complex factors are in operation, implying that a shorter waiting time need not necessarily be preferred to a longer waiting time. We also present an empirical study, where a sample of Swedes are offered the possibility of purchasing private insurance, thus reducing waiting time for surgery beyond the three-month guarantee offered by the public sector health care system. Respondents could choose between two insurance contracts. A 'spike' model, where the probability of a zero WTP is strictly positive, was developed and estimated to obtain demand functions for private insurance.

Suggested Citation

  • Johannesson, Magnus & Johansson, Per-Olov & Söderqvist, Tore, 1997. "Time Spent on Waiting Lists for Medical Care: An Insurance Approach," SSE/EFI Working Paper Series in Economics and Finance 192, Stockholm School of Economics.
    • Handle: RePEc:hhs:hastef:0192
    as

    Download full text from publisher

    To our knowledge, this item is not available for download. To find whether it is available, there are three options:
    1. Check below whether another version of this item is available online.
    2. Check on the provider's web page whether it is in fact available.
    3. Perform a search for a similarly titled item that would be available.

    Other versions of this item:

    References listed on IDEAS

    as
    1. Johansson,Per-Olov, 1995. "Evaluating Health Risks," Cambridge Books, Cambridge University Press, number 9780521478786.
    2. Iversen, Tor, 1993. "A theory of hospital waiting lists," Journal of Health Economics, Elsevier, vol. 12(1), pages 55-71, April.
    3. McAvinchey, Ian D. & Yannopoulos, Andreas, 1993. "Elasticity estimates from a dynamic model of interrelated demands for private and public acute health care," Journal of Health Economics, Elsevier, vol. 12(2), pages 171-186, July.
    4. Hausman, Jerry A. & Leonard, Gregory K. & McFadden, Daniel, 1995. "A utility-consistent, combined discrete choice and count data model Assessing recreational use losses due to natural resource damage," Journal of Public Economics, Elsevier, vol. 56(1), pages 1-30, January.
    5. Cullis, John G. & Jones, Philip R., 1985. "National health service waiting lists : A discussion of competing explanations and a policy proposal," Journal of Health Economics, Elsevier, vol. 4(2), pages 119-135, June.
    6. Iversen, Tor, 1997. "The effect of a private sector on the waiting time in a national health service," Journal of Health Economics, Elsevier, vol. 16(4), pages 381-396, August.
    7. Steven Globerman, 1991. "A policy analysis of hospital waiting lists," Journal of Policy Analysis and Management, John Wiley & Sons, Ltd., vol. 10(2), pages 247-262.
    8. Carol Propper, 1995. "The Disutility of Time Spent on the United Kingdom's National Health Service Waiting Lists," Journal of Human Resources, University of Wisconsin Press, vol. 30(4), pages 677-700.
    9. Besley, Timothy, 1989. "Publicly provided disaster insurance for health and the control of moral hazard," Journal of Public Economics, Elsevier, vol. 39(2), pages 141-156, July.
    10. Propper, Carol, 1990. "Contingent Valuation of Time Spent on NHS Waiting Lists," Economic Journal, Royal Economic Society, vol. 100(400), pages 193-199, Supplemen.
    11. Jones-Lee, M W, 1991. "Altruism and the Value of Other People's Safety," Journal of Risk and Uncertainty, Springer, vol. 4(2), pages 213-219, April.
    12. Cullis, John G & Jones, Philip R, 1986. "Rationing by Waiting Lists: An Implication," American Economic Review, American Economic Association, vol. 76(1), pages 250-256, March.
    13. Johannesson, Magnus & Johansson, Per-Olov, 1996. "To Be, or Not to Be, That Is the Question: An Empirical Study of the WTP for an Increased Life Expectancy at an Advanced Age," Journal of Risk and Uncertainty, Springer, vol. 13(2), pages 163-174, September.
    14. Peter A. Diamond & Jerry A. Hausman, 1994. "Contingent Valuation: Is Some Number Better than No Number?," Journal of Economic Perspectives, American Economic Association, vol. 8(4), pages 45-64, Fall.
    15. Johannesson, Magnus & Johansson, Per-Olov, 1997. "Quality of life and the WTP for an increased life expectancy at an advanced age," Journal of Public Economics, Elsevier, vol. 65(2), pages 219-228, August.
    16. Lindsay, Cotton M & Feigenbaum, Bernard, 1984. "Rationing by Waiting Lists," American Economic Review, American Economic Association, vol. 74(3), pages 404-417, June.
    17. Johansson,Per-Olov, 1995. "Evaluating Health Risks," Cambridge Books, Cambridge University Press, number 9780521472852.
    18. Blomqvist, A. & Johansson, P-O., 1997. "Economic efficiency and mixed public/private insurance," Journal of Public Economics, Elsevier, vol. 66(3), pages 505-516, December.
    19. Selden, Thomas M., 1993. "Should the government provide catastrophic insurance?," Journal of Public Economics, Elsevier, vol. 51(2), pages 241-247, June.
    20. Goodin, Robert E., 1982. "Discounting Discounting," Journal of Public Policy, Cambridge University Press, vol. 2(1), pages 53-71, February.
    21. Hanning, Marianne, 1996. "Maximum waiting-time guarantee -- an attempt to reduce waiting lists in Sweden," Health Policy, Elsevier, vol. 36(1), pages 17-35, April.
    Full references (including those not matched with items on IDEAS)

    Most related items

    These are the items that most often cite the same works as this one and are cited by the same works as this one.
    1. Akbar Marvasti, 2006. "A Contingent Valuation of Customer Delay in Medical Services," Eastern Economic Journal, Eastern Economic Association, vol. 32(1), pages 31-45, Winter.
    2. Parry, Ian W.H., 2005. "Comparing the welfare effects of public and private health care subsidies in the United Kingdom," Journal of Health Economics, Elsevier, vol. 24(6), pages 1191-1209, November.
    3. Goddard, John & Tavakoli, Manouche, 2008. "Efficiency and welfare implications of managed public sector hospital waiting lists," European Journal of Operational Research, Elsevier, vol. 184(2), pages 778-792, January.
    4. Johannesson, Magnus & Johansson, Per-Olov, 1997. "Quality of life and the WTP for an increased life expectancy at an advanced age," Journal of Public Economics, Elsevier, vol. 65(2), pages 219-228, August.
    5. Chai Cheng, T & Vahid, F, 2010. "Demand for hospital care and private health insurance in a mixed publicprivate system: empirical evidence using a simultaneous equation modeling approach," Health, Econometrics and Data Group (HEDG) Working Papers 10/25, HEDG, c/o Department of Economics, University of York.
    6. Siciliani, Luigi & Hurst, Jeremy, 2005. "Tackling excessive waiting times for elective surgery: a comparative analysis of policies in 12 OECD countries," Health Policy, Elsevier, vol. 72(2), pages 201-215, May.
    7. Vasco F. Alves, 2019. "Pricing and waiting time decisions in a health care market with private and public provision," Journal of Applied Economics, Taylor & Francis Journals, vol. 22(1), pages 174-195, January.
    8. Richard T. Carson, 2011. "Contingent Valuation," Books, Edward Elgar Publishing, number 2489.
    9. Huw Dixon & Luigi Siciliani, 2009. "Waiting Time Targets in Healthcare Markets: How Long Are We Waiting?," Discussion Papers 09/05, Department of Economics, University of York.
    10. Dixon, Huw & Siciliani, Luigi, 2009. "Waiting-time targets in the healthcare sector: How long are we waiting?," Journal of Health Economics, Elsevier, vol. 28(6), pages 1081-1098, December.
    11. A. Freeman, 2006. "Valuing Environmental Health Effects – An Economic Perspective," Environmental & Resource Economics, Springer;European Association of Environmental and Resource Economists, vol. 34(3), pages 347-363, July.
    12. Raymond Y.T. Yeung & Gabriel M. Leung & Sarah M. McGhee & Janice M. Johnston, 2004. "Waiting time and doctor shopping in a mixed medical economy," Health Economics, John Wiley & Sons, Ltd., vol. 13(11), pages 1137-1144, November.
    13. Farnworth, Michael G., 2003. "A game theoretic model of the relationship between prices and waiting times," Journal of Health Economics, Elsevier, vol. 22(1), pages 47-60, January.
    14. Martin, Stephen & Smith, Peter C., 1999. "Rationing by waiting lists: an empirical investigation," Journal of Public Economics, Elsevier, vol. 71(1), pages 141-164, January.
    15. Alexandre Marinho, 2004. "Um Estudo Sobre as Filas Para Internações e Para Transplantes no Sistema Único de Saúde Brasileiro," Discussion Papers 1055, Instituto de Pesquisa Econômica Aplicada - IPEA.
    16. Richard D. Smith, 2003. "Construction of the contingent valuation market in health care:a critical assessment," Health Economics, John Wiley & Sons, Ltd., vol. 12(8), pages 609-628, August.
    17. Karin Monstad & Lars Birger Engesæter & Birgitte Espehaug, 2014. "Waiting Time And Socioeconomic Status—An Individual‐Level Analysis," Health Economics, John Wiley & Sons, Ltd., vol. 23(4), pages 446-461, April.
    18. Street, Andrew & Duckett, Stephen, 1996. "Are waiting lists inevitable?," Health Policy, Elsevier, vol. 36(1), pages 1-15, April.
    19. Brekke, Kurt R. & Siciliani, Luigi & Straume, Odd Rune, 2008. "Competition and waiting times in hospital markets," Journal of Public Economics, Elsevier, vol. 92(7), pages 1607-1628, July.
    20. Siciliani, Luigi & Stanciole, Anderson & Jacobs, Rowena, 2009. "Do waiting times reduce hospital costs?," Journal of Health Economics, Elsevier, vol. 28(4), pages 771-780, July.

    More about this item

    Keywords

    Insurance; waiting lists; willingness to pay; demand functions for insurance; spike models.;
    All these keywords.

    JEL classification:

    • D61 - Microeconomics - - Welfare Economics - - - Allocative Efficiency; Cost-Benefit Analysis
    • I10 - Health, Education, and Welfare - - Health - - - General
    • I11 - Health, Education, and Welfare - - Health - - - Analysis of Health Care Markets

    NEP fields

    This paper has been announced in the following NEP Reports:

    Statistics

    Access and download statistics

    Corrections

    All material on this site has been provided by the respective publishers and authors. You can help correct errors and omissions. When requesting a correction, please mention this item's handle: RePEc:hhs:hastef:0192. See general information about how to correct material in RePEc.

    If you have authored this item and are not yet registered with RePEc, we encourage you to do it here. This allows to link your profile to this item. It also allows you to accept potential citations to this item that we are uncertain about.

    If CitEc recognized a bibliographic reference but did not link an item in RePEc to it, you can help with this form .

    If you know of missing items citing this one, you can help us creating those links by adding the relevant references in the same way as above, for each refering item. If you are a registered author of this item, you may also want to check the "citations" tab in your RePEc Author Service profile, as there may be some citations waiting for confirmation.

    For technical questions regarding this item, or to correct its authors, title, abstract, bibliographic or download information, contact: Helena Lundin (email available below). General contact details of provider: https://edirc.repec.org/data/erhhsse.html .

    Please note that corrections may take a couple of weeks to filter through the various RePEc services.

    IDEAS is a RePEc service. RePEc uses bibliographic data supplied by the respective publishers.