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Health Insurance or Food for the Family? An Examination into Unintended Consequences

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Author Info
Olufunke A. Alaba (Department of Economics, University of Pretoria)
Steven F. Koch () (Department of Economics, University of Pretoria)

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Abstract

In developing countries, where health insurance is not a commonly purchased nancial instrument, recent debates have revolved around extending health insurance coverage to a wider range of the population, primarily via compulsory insurance schemes. However, these debates rarely consider the competing demands placed on the family budget, which will un uence the acceptability of the program by the populace, and can be used to design the optimal policy. In this paper, we examine treatment e ects associated with household insurance status providing a detailed examination of expenditure substitution patterns within a highly unequal developing country. In agreement with economic theory, the expansion of health insurance coverage via compulsory schemes creates additional burdens for households, which household accommodate via expenditure substitution. The observed variation in the household's ability to accomodate increased expenditure can and should be used in future to assess policy options and design an optimal social health insurance program.

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Publisher Info
Paper provided by University of Pretoria, Department of Economics in its series Working Papers with number 200824.

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Length: 32 pages
Date of creation: Jul 2008
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Handle: RePEc:pre:wpaper:200824

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Related research
Keywords: Propensity Score Matching; Average Treatment E ects; Demand System; National Health Insurance;

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Find related papers by JEL classification:
I11 - Health, Education, and Welfare - - Health - - - Analysis of Health Care Markets
G22 - Financial Economics - - Financial Institutions and Services - - - Insurance; Insurance Companies
D14 - Microeconomics - - Household Behavior - - - Personal Finance

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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.:
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  2. Chiappori, Pierre-Andre & Durand, Franck & Geoffard, Pierre-Yves, 1998. "Moral hazard and the demand for physician services: First lessons from a French natural experiment," European Economic Review, Elsevier, vol. 42(3-5), pages 499-511, May. [Downloadable!] (restricted)
    Other versions:
  3. Helen Levy & Thomas DeLeire, 2003. "What Do People Buy When They Don't Buy Health Insurance And What Does that Say about Why They are Uninsured?," NBER Working Papers 9826, National Bureau of Economic Research, Inc. [Downloadable!] (restricted)
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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. Steven F. Koch & Gauthier Tshiswaka-Kashalala, 2008. "Tobacco Substitution and the Poor," Working Papers 200832, University of Pretoria, Department of Economics. [Downloadable!]
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