This file is part of IDEAS, which uses RePEc data


[ Papers | Articles | Software | Books | Chapters | Authors | Institutions | JEL Classification | NEP reports | Search | New papers by email | Author registration | Rankings | Volunteers | FAQ | Blog | Help! ]

Public Policy for Health Care

Author info | Abstract | Publisher info | Download info | Related research | Statistics
Author Info
David M. Cutler

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

Abstract

This paper reviews the public sector role in the provision of health care. A first role of the government is to use tax policy to correct externalities associated with individual behaviors. Estimates suggest that the external effects of many `sins' such as alcohol consumption are greater than current taxes on these goods. A second role of the government is to correct distortions in markets for medical care and health insurance. Markets for health insurance have traditionally not offered a choice between cost and the generosity of benefits. As a result, there have been incentives for excessive technological development, particularly technologies that increase spending. Once technologies have diffused widely, they are overutilized. Policies to increase choice in insurance markets could increase welfare, provided they limit segmentation on the basis of risk.

Download Info
To download:

If you experience problems downloading a file, check if you have the proper application to view it first. Information about this may be contained in the File-Format links below. In case of further problems read the IDEAS help page. Note that these files are not on the IDEAS site. Please be patient as the files may be large.

File URL: http://www.nber.org/papers/w5591.pdf
File Format: application/pdf
File Function:
Download Restriction: Access to the full text is generally limited to series subscribers, however if the top level domain of the client browser is in a developing country or transition economy free access is provided. More information about subscriptions and free access is available at http://www.nber.org/wwphelp.html.

As the access to this document is restricted, you may want to look for a different version under "Related research" (further below) or search for a different version of it.

Publisher Info
Paper provided by National Bureau of Economic Research, Inc in its series NBER Working Papers with number 5591.

Download reference. The following formats are available: HTML (with abstract), plain text (with abstract), BibTeX, RIS (EndNote, RefMan, ProCite), ReDIF
Length:
Date of creation: May 1996
Date of revision:
Handle: RePEc:nbr:nberwo:5591

Note: AG HC PE
Contact details of provider:
Postal: National Bureau of Economic Research, 1050 Massachusetts Avenue Cambridge, MA 02138, U.S.A.
Phone: 617-868-3900
Email:
Web page: http://www.nber.org
More information through EDIRC

For technical questions regarding this item, or to correct its listing, contact: ().

Related research
Keywords:

Other versions of this item:

Find related papers by JEL classification:
I11 - Health, Education, and Welfare - - Health - - - Analysis of Health Care Markets
I18 - Health, Education, and Welfare - - Health - - - Government Policy; Regulation; Public Health

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. Henry J. Aaron, 1996. "Health Care Reform: The Clash of Goals, Facts, and Ideology," NBER Chapters, in: Individual and Social Responsibility: Child Care, Education, Medical Care, and Long-Term Care in America, pages 107-142 National Bureau of Economic Research, Inc. [Downloadable!]
  2. Daniel P. Kessler & Mark McClellan, 1996. "Do Doctors Practice Defensive Medicine?," NBER Working Papers 5466, National Bureau of Economic Research, Inc. [Downloadable!] (restricted)
  3. David Cutler, 1994. "Market Failure in Small Group Health Insurance," NBER Working Papers 4879, National Bureau of Economic Research, Inc. [Downloadable!] (restricted)
  4. James M. Poterba & Lawrence H. Summers, 1985. "Public Policy Implications of Declining Old-Age Mortality," Working papers 378, Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT), Department of Economics.
  5. Kessler, Daniel & McClellan, Mark, 1996. "Do Doctors Practice Defensive Medicine?," The Quarterly Journal of Economics, MIT Press, vol. 111(2), pages 353-90, May. [Downloadable!] (restricted)
  6. Jonathan Gruber & James Poterba, 1996. "Tax Subsidies to Employer-Provided Health Insurance," NBER Working Papers 5147, National Bureau of Economic Research, Inc. [Downloadable!] (restricted)
    Other versions:
  7. Fuchs, Victor R, 1996. "Economics, Values, and Health Care Reform," American Economic Review, American Economic Association, vol. 86(1), pages 1-24, March.
Full references

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. Robert F. Graboyes, 2000. "Getting better, feeling worse : cure rates, health insurance, and welfare," Working Paper 00-05, Federal Reserve Bank of Richmond. [Downloadable!]
  2. Frits Bos & Rudy Douven & Esther Mot, 2004. "Four long-term scenarios for the Dutch government and health-care sector," CPB Documents 72, CPB Netherlands Bureau for Economic Policy Analysis. [Downloadable!]
  3. Jin Feng & Zheng Song, 2009. "Health care system in rural China: A quantitative approach based on heterogeneous individuals," Frontiers of Economics in China, Springer, vol. 4(2), pages 153-172, June. [Downloadable!] (restricted)
  4. Udo Schneider, 2002. "Beidseitige Informationsasymmetrien in der Arzt-Patient-Beziehung: Implikationen für die GKV," Vierteljahrshefte zur Wirtschaftsforschung / Quarterly Journal of Economic Research, DIW Berlin, German Institute for Economic Research, vol. 71(4), pages 447-458.
  5. Deborah Wilson, 2005. "Acquisition and disclosure of genetic information under alternative policy regimes," The Centre for Market and Public Organisation 05/118, Department of Economics, University of Bristol, UK. [Downloadable!]
  6. Robert F. Graboyes, 2000. "Medicine worse than the malady : cure rates, population shifts, and health insurance," Working Paper 00-06, Federal Reserve Bank of Richmond. [Downloadable!]
  7. Walter M. Cadette, 1999. "Rethinking Health Care Policy: The Case for Retargeting Tax Subsidies," Macroeconomics 9902011, EconWPA. [Downloadable!]
Statistics
Access and download statistics

Did you know? You may want to explore EconPapers, which displays the same data as IDEAS in a different way.

This page was last updated on 2009-12-8.

This information is provided to you by IDEAS at the Department of Economics, College of Liberal Arts and Sciences, University of Connecticut using RePEc data on a server sponsored by the Society for Economic Dynamics.