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On Health Insurance And Household Decisions: An Econometric Policy Analysis

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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, 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, the debate rarely considers the competing demands placed on the family budget. In this paper, we have examined expenditure substitution patterns for both insured and uninsured households in a highly unequal developing country allowing for selection on insurance status. Our analysis suggests that expansion of health insurance coverage via compulsory schemes will create additional burdens for households, especially in terms of food purchases, and are, therefore, likely to require simultaneously implemented welfare or subsidy policies in order to be e ective. It is not clear, then, that the bene ts of a compulsory insurance scheme will outweigh the additional costs in terms of behavioural constraints, scal constraints and public sector service delivery capacity constraints.

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

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Related research
Keywords: Treatment Effects Hazard

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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.:
  1. Alberto HOLLY & Lucien GARDIOL & Gianfranco DOMENIGHETTI & Brigitte BISIG, 1998. "An Econometric Model of Health Care Utilization and Health Insurance in Switzerland," Cahiers de Recherches Economiques du Département d'Econométrie et d'Economie politique (DEEP) 9803, Université de Lausanne, Faculté des HEC, DEEP.
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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)
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  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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  6. Propper, Carol, 1989. "An Econometric Analysis of the Demand for Private Health Insurance in England and Wales," Applied Economics, Taylor and Francis Journals, vol. 21(6), pages 777-92, June.
  7. James J. Heckman, 2000. "Causal Parameters And Policy Analysis In Economics: A Twentieth Century Retrospective," The Quarterly Journal of Economics, MIT Press, vol. 115(1), pages 45-97, February. [Downloadable!] (restricted)
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  8. Lee, Lung-Fei, 1978. "Unionism and Wage Rates: A Simultaneous Equations Model with Qualitative and Limited Dependent Variables," International Economic Review, Department of Economics, University of Pennsylvania and Osaka University Institute of Social and Economic Research Association, vol. 19(2), pages 415-33, June. [Downloadable!] (restricted)
  9. Johannes G. Hoogeveen & Berk Özler, 2005. "Not Separate, Not Equal: Poverty and Inequality in Post-Apartheid South Africa," William Davidson Institute Working Papers Series wp739, William Davidson Institute at the University of Michigan Stephen M. Ross Business School. [Downloadable!]
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  10. Rothschild, Michael & Stiglitz, Joseph E, 1976. "Equilibrium in Competitive Insurance Markets: An Essay on the Economics of Imperfect Information," The Quarterly Journal of Economics, MIT Press, vol. 90(4), pages 630-49, November.
  11. Matthew Jowett & Anil Deolalikar & Peter Martinsson, 2004. "Health insurance and treatment seeking behaviour: evidence from a low-income country," Health Economics, John Wiley & Sons, Ltd., vol. 13(9), pages 845-857. [Downloadable!]
  12. Amir Shmueli, 2001. "The effect of health on acute care supplemental insurance ownership: an empirical analysis," Health Economics, John Wiley & Sons, Ltd., vol. 10(4), pages 341-350. [Downloadable!]
  13. Colm Harmon & Brian Nolan, 2001. "Health insurance and health services utilization in Ireland," Health Economics, John Wiley & Sons, Ltd., vol. 10(2), pages 135-145. [Downloadable!]
  14. Christelle Grobler & Ian c. Stuart, 2007. "Health Care Provider Choice," South African Journal of Economics, Economic Society of South Africa, vol. 75(2), pages 327-350, 06. [Downloadable!] (restricted)
  15. Denise Doiron & Glenn Jones & Elizabeth Savage, 2008. "Healthy, wealthy and insured? The role of self-assessed health in the demand for private health insurance," Health Economics, John Wiley & Sons, Ltd., vol. 17(3), pages 317-334. [Downloadable!]
  16. Marc Ground & Steven F. Koch, 2007. "Hurdle Models of Alcohol and Tobacco Expenditure in South African Households," Working Papers 200703, University of Pretoria, Department of Economics.
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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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