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Assessing the effectiveness of health care cost containment measures: evidence from the market for rehabilitation care

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  • Nicolas Ziebarth

Abstract

This study empirically evaluates the effectiveness of different health care cost containment measures. The measures investigated were introduced in Germany in 1997 to reduce moral hazard and public health expenditures in the market for rehabilitation care. Of the analyzed measures, doubling the daily copayments was clearly the most effective cost containment measure, resulting in a reduction in utilization of about $$20\,\%$$ 20 % . Indirect measures such as allowing employers to cut federally mandated sick pay or paid vacation during inpatient post-acute care stays did not significantly reduce utilization. There is evidence neither for adverse health effects nor for substitution effects in terms of more doctor visits. Copyright Springer Science+Business Media New York 2014

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  • Nicolas Ziebarth, 2014. "Assessing the effectiveness of health care cost containment measures: evidence from the market for rehabilitation care," International Journal of Health Economics and Management, Springer, vol. 14(1), pages 41-67, March.
    • Handle: RePEc:kap:ijhcfe:v:14:y:2014:i:1:p:41-67
    DOI: 10.1007/s10754-013-9138-1
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    6. Claudio Lucifora & Antonio Russo & Daria Vigani, 2021. "Does prescribing appropriateness reduce health expenditures? Main effects and unintended outcomes," DISCE - Working Papers del Dipartimento di Economia e Finanza def103, Università Cattolica del Sacro Cuore, Dipartimenti e Istituti di Scienze Economiche (DISCE).

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    More about this item

    Keywords

    Health care demand; Cost-sharing; Health effects; Preventive care; Substitution effects; SOEP; G22; H51; I11; I12; I18; J14; J22;
    All these keywords.

    JEL classification:

    • G22 - Financial Economics - - Financial Institutions and Services - - - Insurance; Insurance Companies; Actuarial Studies
    • H51 - Public Economics - - National Government Expenditures and Related Policies - - - Government Expenditures and Health
    • I11 - Health, Education, and Welfare - - Health - - - Analysis of Health Care Markets
    • I12 - Health, Education, and Welfare - - Health - - - Health Behavior
    • I18 - Health, Education, and Welfare - - Health - - - Government Policy; Regulation; Public Health
    • J14 - Labor and Demographic Economics - - Demographic Economics - - - Economics of the Elderly; Economics of the Handicapped; Non-Labor Market Discrimination
    • J22 - Labor and Demographic Economics - - Demand and Supply of Labor - - - Time Allocation and Labor Supply

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