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Australian Private Health Insurance Productivity Growth: Is there Scope to Limit Premium Increases?

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  • ROGER CARRINGTON
  • TIM COELLI
  • D.S. PRASADA RAO

Abstract

The regulation of Australian private health insurance premiums is not conducive to restricting premium increases because the criteria used by the Commonwealth Government to help set premiums do not consider efficient service delivery. This article examines levels of efficiency and productivity growth in Australian health funds. Efficiency frontiers are constructed using data envelopment analysis (DEA) methods, and Malmquist productivity indexes are constructed for the health funds. Our results demonstrate a wide disparity in productivity growth between large funds and smaller funds and funds open to the public and funds that have restricted public access. Consequently, there is scope for health funds to potentially reduce premium increases, on average, by about 0.4 per cent per year.

Suggested Citation

  • Roger Carrington & Tim Coelli & D.S. Prasada Rao, 2011. "Australian Private Health Insurance Productivity Growth: Is there Scope to Limit Premium Increases?," The Economic Record, The Economic Society of Australia, vol. 87(276), pages 125-139, March.
    • Handle: RePEc:bla:ecorec:v:87:y:2011:i:276:p:125-139
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    File URL: http://hdl.handle.net/10.1111/j.1475-4932.2010.00684.x
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    References listed on IDEAS

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    Cited by:

    1. Lan Nguyen & Andrew C. Worthington, 2021. "Industry regulation, fund characteristics, and the efficiency of Australian private health insurers," Accounting and Finance, Accounting and Finance Association of Australia and New Zealand, vol. 61(1), pages 781-801, March.

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    More about this item

    Keywords

    I11 ; I18 ;

    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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