The Gate is Open: Primary Care Physicians as Social Security Gatekeepers

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The Gate is Open: Primary Care Physicians as Social Security Gatekeepers

Author Info

Carlsen, Benedicte (The Rokkan Centre, University of Bergen)
Nyborg, Karine () (Dept. of Economics, University of Oslo)

Additional information is available for the following registered author(s):

Karine Nyborg

Abstract

Primary care physicians have two roles: the healer and the gatekeeper. We show that, due to information asymmetries, they cannot be expected to fulfill the latter role. Better gatekeepers will be poorer healers; hence all patients, both truly sick and shirkers, will strictly prefer physicians who give priority to healing. The choice between work and sick leave thus lies, essentially, with the patient. Interviews with Norwegian primary care physicians confirm this: Our interviewees report that shorter sick leaves are granted at request, while longer sick leaves are normally granted if the patient still prefer so after discussions with the physician.

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Publisher Info
Paper provided by Oslo University, Department of Economics in its series Memorandum with number 07/2009.

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Length: 26 pages
Date of creation: 25 Mar 2009
Date of revision:
Handle: RePEc:hhs:osloec:2009_007

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Postal: Department of Economics, University of Oslo, P.O Box 1095 Blindern, N-0317 Oslo, Norway
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Find related papers by JEL classification:
D11 - Microeconomics - - Household Behavior - - - Consumer Economics: Theory
D21 - Microeconomics - - Production and Organizations - - - Firm Behavior
H42 - Public Economics - - Publicly Provided Goods - - - Publicly Provided Private Goods
I11 - Health, Education, and Welfare - - Health - - - Analysis of Health Care Markets
I18 - Health, Education, and Welfare - - Health - - - Government Policy; Regulation; Public Health

This paper has been announced in the following NEP Reports:

NEP-ALL-2009-09-11 (All new papers)
NEP-CTA-2009-09-11 (Contract Theory & Applications)
NEP-HEA-2009-09-11 (Health Economics)

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This page was last updated on 2009-11-26.

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