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Insurance Search and Switching Behaviour at the time of the Dutch Health Insurance Reform

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  • Bolhaar J
  • Lindeboom M
  • van der Klaauw B

Abstract

The Netherlands introduced a new health insurance system in January 2006, a system based on managed competition. Such a system critically hinges on consumers that search. It is for this reason we think it is important to investigate the extend to which consumers search, how they search and why they search ´or don’t search. The price dispersion observed in the insurance market after the reform suggests the number of consumers that searches is low. We set up a search model for insurance that includes the main features of the Dutch health insurance market after the reform and test the hypotheses from this model on the data.

Suggested Citation

  • Bolhaar J & Lindeboom M & van der Klaauw B, 2009. "Insurance Search and Switching Behaviour at the time of the Dutch Health Insurance Reform," Health, Econometrics and Data Group (HEDG) Working Papers 09/14, HEDG, c/o Department of Economics, University of York.
    • Handle: RePEc:yor:hectdg:09/14
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    References listed on IDEAS

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    1. Nicole Tapay & Francesca Colombo, 2004. "Private Health Insurance in the Netherlands: A Case Study," OECD Health Working Papers 18, OECD Publishing.
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    8. Strombom, Bruce A. & Buchmueller, Thomas C. & Feldstein, Paul J., 2002. "Switching costs, price sensitivity and health plan choice," Journal of Health Economics, Elsevier, vol. 21(1), pages 89-116, January.
    9. Maarten C. W. Janssen & José Luis Moraga-González, 2004. "Strategic Pricing, Consumer Search and the Number of Firms," The Review of Economic Studies, Review of Economic Studies Ltd, vol. 71(4), pages 1089-1118.
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    Cited by:

    1. repec:zbw:rwirep:0304 is not listed on IDEAS
    2. Schmitz, Hendrik & Ziebarth, Nicolas R., 2011. "In Absolute or Relative Terms? How Framing Prices Affects the Consumer Price Sensitivity of Health Plan Choice," Ruhr Economic Papers 304, RWI - Leibniz-Institut für Wirtschaftsforschung, Ruhr-University Bochum, TU Dortmund University, University of Duisburg-Essen.
    3. Hendrik Schmitz & Nicolas R. Ziebarth, 2011. "In Absolute or Relative Terms? How Framing Prices Affects the Consumer Price Sensitivity of," Ruhr Economic Papers 0304, Rheinisch-Westfälisches Institut für Wirtschaftsforschung, Ruhr-Universität Bochum, Universität Dortmund, Universität Duisburg-Essen.

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