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Individual responsibility and health-risk behaviour: A contingent valuation study from the ex ante societal perspective

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  • van der Star, Sanne M.
  • van den Berg, Bernard

Abstract

This study analyzes peoples' social preferences for individual responsibility to health-risk behaviour in health care using the contingent valuation method adopting a societal perspective. We measure peoples' willingness to pay for inclusion of a treatment in basic health insurance of a hypothetical lifestyle dependent (smoking) and lifestyle independent (chronic) health problem. Our hypothesis is that peoples' willingness to pay for the independent and the dependent health problems are similar. As a methodological challenge, this study also analyzes the extent to which people consider their personal situation when answering contingent valuation questions adopting a societal perspective. 513 Dutch inhabitants responded to the questionnaire. They were asked to state their maximum willingness to pay for inclusion of treatments in basic health insurance package for two health problems. We asked them to assume that one hypothetical health problem was totally independent of behaviour (for simplicity called chronic disease). Alternatively, we asked them to assume that the other hypothetical health problem was totally caused by health-risk behaviour (for simplicity called smoking disease). We applied the payment card method to guide respondents to answer the contingent valuation method questions. Mean willingness to pay was 42.39 Euros (CI = 37.24-47.55) for inclusion of treatment for health problem that was unrelated to behaviour, with '5-10' and '10-20 Euros' as most frequently stated answers. In contrast, mean willingness to pay for inclusion treatment for health-risk related problem was 11.29 Euros (CI = 8.83-14.55), with '0' and '0-5 Euros' as most frequently provided answers. Difference in mean willingness to pay was substantial (over 30 Euros) and statistically significant (p-value = 0.000). Smokers were statistically significantly more (p-valueÂ

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  • van der Star, Sanne M. & van den Berg, Bernard, 2011. "Individual responsibility and health-risk behaviour: A contingent valuation study from the ex ante societal perspective," Health Policy, Elsevier, vol. 101(3), pages 300-311, August.
    • Handle: RePEc:eee:hepoli:v:101:y:2011:i:3:p:300-311
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    2. Harris, Paul & Whitty, Jennifer A. & Kendall, Elizabeth & Ratcliffe, Julie & Wilson, Andrew & Littlejohns, Peter & Scuffham, Paul A., 2018. "The importance of population differences: Influence of individual characteristics on the Australian public’s preferences for emergency care," Health Policy, Elsevier, vol. 122(2), pages 115-125.
    3. David Mark Dror, 2018. "Systematic Review of Willingness to Pay for Health Insurance in Low and Middle Income Countries," World Scientific Book Chapters, in: Financing Micro Health Insurance Theory, Methods and Evidence, chapter 8, pages 151-168, World Scientific Publishing Co. Pte. Ltd..
    4. van den Berg, Bernard & Gafni, Amiram & Portrait, France, 2017. "Attributing a monetary value to patients' time: A contingent valuation approach," Social Science & Medicine, Elsevier, vol. 179(C), pages 182-190.
    5. Romy Bes & Bernard Berg, 2013. "Ranking Sources of Hospital Quality Information for Orthopedic Surgery Patients: Consequences for the System of Managed Competition," The Patient: Patient-Centered Outcomes Research, Springer;International Academy of Health Preference Research, vol. 6(2), pages 75-80, June.
    6. Bernard van den Berg & Amiram Gafni & France Portrait, 2013. "Attributing a monetary value to patients’ time: A contingent valuation approach," Working Papers 090cherp, Centre for Health Economics, University of York.
    7. Hurley, Jeremiah & Mentzakis, Emmanouil, 2013. "Health-related externalities: Evidence from a choice experiment," Journal of Health Economics, Elsevier, vol. 32(4), pages 671-681.

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