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Explaining Insurance Policy Provisions via Adverse Selection

Author

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  • Virginia R. Young

    (School of Business, University of Wisconsin—Madison, Madison, WI 53706)

  • Mark J. Browne

    (School of Business, University of Wisconsin—Madison, Madison, WI 53706)

Abstract

In this article, we show that common insurance policy provisions—namely, deductibles, coinsurance, and maximum limits—can arise as a result of adverse selection in a competitive insurance market. Research on adverse selection typically builds on the assumption that different risk types suffer the same size loss and differ only in their probability of loss. In this study, we allow the severity of the insurance loss to be random and, thus, generalize the results of Rothschild and Stiglitz [1976] and Wilson [1977]. We characterize the separating equilibrium contracts in a Rothschild-Stiglitz competitive market. By further assuming a Wilson competitive market, we show that an anticipatory equilibrium might be achieved by pooling, and we characterize the optimal pooling contract. The Geneva Papers on Risk and Insurance Theory (1997) 22, 121–134. doi:10.1023/A:1008616117296

Suggested Citation

  • Virginia R. Young & Mark J. Browne, 1997. "Explaining Insurance Policy Provisions via Adverse Selection," The Geneva Risk and Insurance Review, Palgrave Macmillan;International Association for the Study of Insurance Economics (The Geneva Association), vol. 22(2), pages 121-134, December.
    • Handle: RePEc:pal:genrir:v:22:y:1997:i:2:p:121-134
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    Citations

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    Cited by:

    1. Dionne, G. & Doherty, N., 1991. "Adverse Selection In Insurance Markets: A Selective Survey," Cahiers de recherche 9105, Centre interuniversitaire de recherche en économie quantitative, CIREQ.
    2. Jeffrey R. Brown & Amy Finkelstein, 2008. "The Interaction of Public and Private Insurance: Medicaid and the Long-Term Care Insurance Market," American Economic Review, American Economic Association, vol. 98(3), pages 1083-1102, June.
    3. Henri Loubergé, 1998. "Risk and Insurance Economics 25 Years After," The Geneva Papers on Risk and Insurance - Issues and Practice, Palgrave Macmillan;The Geneva Association, vol. 23(4), pages 540-567, October.
    4. Wang, Shaun S. & Young, Virginia R., 1998. "Ordering risks: Expected utility theory versus Yaari's dual theory of risk," Insurance: Mathematics and Economics, Elsevier, vol. 22(2), pages 145-161, June.
    5. James A. Ligon & Paul D. Thistle, 2008. "Adverse Selection With Frequency and Severity Risk: Alternative Risk‐Sharing Provisions," Journal of Risk & Insurance, The American Risk and Insurance Association, vol. 75(4), pages 825-846, December.
    6. Young, Virginia R., 1999. "Optimal insurance under Wang's premium principle," Insurance: Mathematics and Economics, Elsevier, vol. 25(2), pages 109-122, November.
    7. Dionne, Georges & Fombaron, Nathalie & Doherty, Neil, 2012. "Adverse selection in insurance contracting," Working Papers 12-8, HEC Montreal, Canada Research Chair in Risk Management.

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