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Price elasticities in the German Statutory Health Insurance market before and after the health care reform of 2009

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  • Pendzialek, Jonas B.
  • Danner, Marion
  • Simic, Dusan
  • Stock, Stephanie

Abstract

This paper investigates the change in price elasticity of health insurance choice in Germany after a reform of health insurance contributions. Using a comprehensive data set of all sickness funds between 2004 and 2013, price elasticities are calculated both before and after the reform for the entire market. The general price elasticity is found to be increased more than 4-fold from −0.81 prior to the reform to −3.53 after the reform. By introducing a new kind of health insurance contribution the reform seemingly increased the price elasticity of insured individuals to a more appropriate level under the given market parameters. However, further unintended consequences of the new contribution scheme were massive losses of market share for the more expensive sickness funds and therefore an undivided focus on pricing as the primary competitive element to the detriment of quality.

Suggested Citation

  • Pendzialek, Jonas B. & Danner, Marion & Simic, Dusan & Stock, Stephanie, 2015. "Price elasticities in the German Statutory Health Insurance market before and after the health care reform of 2009," Health Policy, Elsevier, vol. 119(5), pages 654-663.
    • Handle: RePEc:eee:hepoli:v:119:y:2015:i:5:p:654-663
    DOI: 10.1016/j.healthpol.2015.01.014
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    Cited by:

    1. Conor Keegan & Conor Teljeur & Brian Turner & Steve Thomas, 2019. "Switching benefits and costs in the Irish health insurance market: an analysis of consumer surveys," International Journal of Health Economics and Management, Springer, vol. 19(1), pages 15-32, March.
    2. M. Antonini & R. C. van Kleef & J. Henriquez & F. Paolucci, 2023. "Can risk rating increase the ability of voluntary deductibles to reduce moral hazard?," The Geneva Papers on Risk and Insurance - Issues and Practice, Palgrave Macmillan;The Geneva Association, vol. 48(1), pages 130-156, January.
    3. Rudy Douven & Ron van der Heijden & Thomas McGuire & Erik Schut, 2017. "Premium levels and demand response in health insurance: relative thinking and zero-price effects," CPB Discussion Paper 366.rdf, CPB Netherlands Bureau for Economic Policy Analysis.
    4. Rudy Douven & Ron van der Heijden & Thomas McGuire & Frederik T. Schut, 2017. "Premium Levels and Demand Response in Health Insurance: Relative Thinking and Zero-Price Effects," NBER Working Papers 23846, National Bureau of Economic Research, Inc.
    5. Rudy Douven & Ron van der Heijden & Thomas McGuire & Erik Schut, 2017. "Premium levels and demand response in health insurance: relative thinking and zero-price effects," CPB Discussion Paper 366, CPB Netherlands Bureau for Economic Policy Analysis.
    6. Douven, Rudy & van der Heijden, Ron & McGuire, Thomas & Schut, Frederik, 2020. "Premium levels and demand response in health insurance: relative thinking and zero-price effects," Journal of Economic Behavior & Organization, Elsevier, vol. 180(C), pages 903-923.
    7. Jonas B. Pendzialek & Dusan Simic & Stephanie Stock, 2017. "Measuring customer preferences in the German statutory health insurance," The European Journal of Health Economics, Springer;Deutsche Gesellschaft für Gesundheitsökonomie (DGGÖ), vol. 18(7), pages 831-845, September.

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