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The Purpose and Limits of Social Health Insurance

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Author Info
Peter Zweifel () (Socioeconomic Institute, University of Zurich)
Abstract

This contribution seeks to answer two related questions. First, what is the purpose of social health insurance? Or put in slightly different terms, what are the reasons for social (or public) health insurance to exist, even to dominate private health insurance in most developed countries? And second, what are the limits of social health insurance? Can one say that there is "too much" social health insurance in the following two senses: Should the balance be shifted towards the private alternative? And is the degree of coverage excessive?

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File URL: http://www.soi.uzh.ch/research/wp/2005/wp0509.pdf
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File Function: Revised version, 2005
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Publisher Info
Paper provided by University of Zurich, Socioeconomic Institute in its series Working Papers with number 0509.

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Length: 28 pages
Date of creation: Sep 2005
Date of revision: Sep 2005
Publication status: Published in Foundations and Trends in Microeconomics, 3(3), 183–273, 2007
Handle: RePEc:soz:wpaper:0509

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Related research
Keywords: social health insurance; private health insurance; insurance coverage;

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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

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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. Andreas Polk & Armin Schmutzler, 2003. "Lobbying against Environmental Regulation vs. Lobbying for Loopholes," Working Papers 0301, University of Zurich, Socioeconomic Institute. [Downloadable!]
    Other versions:
  2. Borek, Thomas & Bühler, Stefan & Schmutzler, Armin, 2003. "Weddings with Uncertain Prospects - Mergers under Asymmetric Information," CEPR Discussion Papers 3839, C.E.P.R. Discussion Papers. [Downloadable!] (restricted)
    Other versions:
  3. Dennis L. Gärtner & Daniel Halbheer, 2008. "Are There Waves in Merger Activity After All?," Working Papers 0092, University of Zurich, Institute for Strategy and Business Economics (ISU). [Downloadable!]
    Other versions:
  4. Bühler, Stefan & Schmutzler, Armin, 2003. "Who Integrates?," CEPR Discussion Papers 4066, C.E.P.R. Discussion Papers. [Downloadable!] (restricted)
  5. Mahler, Philippe & Winkelmann, Rainer, 2004. "Single Motherhood and (Un)Equal Educational Opportunities: Evidence for Germany," IZA Discussion Papers 1391, Institute for the Study of Labor (IZA). [Downloadable!]
    Other versions:
  6. Samuel Muehlemann & Juerg Schweri & Rainer Winkelmann & Stefan C. Wolter, 2005. "A Structural Model of Demand for Apprentices," CESifo Working Paper Series CESifo Working Paper No. , CESifo Group Munich. [Downloadable!]
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  7. Thomas Borek & Stefan Buehler & Armin Schmutzler, 2004. "Mergers under Asymmetric Information – Is there a Lemons Problem?," Working Papers 0408, University of Zurich, Socioeconomic Institute. [Downloadable!]
  8. Yves Schneider & Peter Zweifel, 2005. "Spatial Effects in Willingness-to-Pay: The Case of Two Nuclear Risks," Working Papers 0502, University of Zurich, Socioeconomic Institute, revised Sep 2007. [Downloadable!]
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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. Ronald Eduardo Gómez Suárez, 2007. "Cream-Skimming And Risk Adjustment in Colombian Health Insurance System:: The Public Insurer Case," ARCHIVOS DE ECONOMÍA 004295, DEPARTAMENTO NACIONAL DE PLANEACIÓN. [Downloadable!]
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