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Can financial incentives improve access to care? Evidence from a French experiment on specialist physicians

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  • Kingsada, Aimée

Abstract

In France, addressing balance billing is essential for equitable healthcare access and reducing physician income disparities. The National Health Insurance (NHI) introduced financial incentive programs, namely the “Contract for Access to Care” (CAS) in 2014 and the “Option for Controlled Pricing” (OPTAM) in 2017, to encourage physicians to reduce extra fees and adhere to regulated prices. This study analyzed the impact of these programs on self-employed physicians using a comprehensive administrative dataset covering specialist physicians from 2005 to 2017. The dataset comprised 9891 surgical specialists (30,972 observations) and 6926 medical specialists (21,650 observations) between 2005 and 2017.

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  • Kingsada, Aimée, 2024. "Can financial incentives improve access to care? Evidence from a French experiment on specialist physicians," Social Science & Medicine, Elsevier, vol. 352(C).
    • Handle: RePEc:eee:socmed:v:352:y:2024:i:c:s0277953624004696
    DOI: 10.1016/j.socscimed.2024.117018
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    1. Cullinan, John & Lorgelly, Paula, 2025. "Equity in health care and health: Contributions from health economics," Social Science & Medicine, Elsevier, vol. 372(C).

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