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Health plan pricing behaviour and managed competition

Author

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  • Rudy Douven

    (CPB Netherlands Bureau for Economic Policy Analysis)

  • E. Schut

Abstract

In the Dutch social health insurance scheme, health plans operate in a managed competition framework. Essential features of this framework are risk adjustment, open enrolment and community rating. In the Dutch social health insurance scheme, health plans operate in a managed competition framework. Essential features of this framework are risk adjustment, open enrolment and community rating.The objective is to study how health plans determine their community rated premiums. Using a panel data set for all health plans operating in the Dutch social health insurance market over the period 1996-2004, we estimate a premium model to determine which factors explain the price setting behaviour of health plans. Our empirical results indicate that competition did not play a major role in premium setting by health plans. We find that financial stability rather than profit maximisation offers the best explanation for health plan pricing behaviour. The forecast of next year's health-care expenditure by the government and the adjusted forecast by the insurers' association play a major role in health plans' pricing decisions. The introduction of a national health insurance scheme in 2006 urged all citizens to reconsider their health plan choice. The threat of losing customers had a profound impact on health plans' pricing behaviour. In sharp contrast to the period 1996-2005, in 2006 competition seems to play a dominant role in insurers' pricing decisions. Whether this will be a temporary or a lasting phenomenon is hard to predict.

Suggested Citation

  • Rudy Douven & E. Schut, 2006. "Health plan pricing behaviour and managed competition," CPB Discussion Paper 61, CPB Netherlands Bureau for Economic Policy Analysis.
    • Handle: RePEc:cpb:discus:61
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    References listed on IDEAS

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    1. Schut, Frederik T. & Hassink, Wolter H. J., 2002. "Managed competition and consumer price sensitivity in social health insurance," Journal of Health Economics, Elsevier, vol. 21(6), pages 1009-1029, November.
    2. Samuelson, William & Zeckhauser, Richard, 1988. "Status Quo Bias in Decision Making," Journal of Risk and Uncertainty, Springer, vol. 1(1), pages 7-59, March.
    3. Ivaldi, Marc & Jullien, Bruno & Rey, Patrick & Seabright, Paul & Tirole, Jean, 2003. "The Economics of Tacit Collusion," IDEI Working Papers 186, Institut d'Économie Industrielle (IDEI), Toulouse.
    4. Lieverdink, Harm, 2001. "The marginal success of regulated competition policy in the Netherlands," Social Science & Medicine, Elsevier, vol. 52(8), pages 1183-1194, April.
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    Cited by:

    1. van de Ven, Wynand P.M.M. & Beck, Konstantin & Van de Voorde, Carine & Wasem, Jurgen & Zmora, Irit, 2007. "Risk adjustment and risk selection in Europe: 6 years later," Health Policy, Elsevier, vol. 83(2-3), pages 162-179, October.
    2. Boone, J. & Douven, R.C.M.H. & Droge, C. & Mosca, I., 2010. "Health Insurance Competition : The Effect of Group Contracts," Discussion Paper 2010-55, Tilburg University, Center for Economic Research.
    3. Jan Boone & Rudy Douven & C. Droge & I. Mosca, 2010. "Health insurance competition: The effect of group contracts," CPB Discussion Paper 152, CPB Netherlands Bureau for Economic Policy Analysis.
    4. Anne-Fleur Roos & Frederik Schut, 2012. "Spillover effects of supplementary on basic health insurance: evidence from the Netherlands," The European Journal of Health Economics, Springer;Deutsche Gesellschaft für Gesundheitsökonomie (DGGÖ), vol. 13(1), pages 51-62, February.
    5. Stefan Greß & Maral Manouguian & Jürgen Wasem, 2007. "Health Insurance Reform in the Netherlands," ifo DICE Report, ifo Institute - Leibniz Institute for Economic Research at the University of Munich, vol. 5(1), pages 63-67, 05.
    6. Greß, Stefan & Manouguian, Maral & Wasem, Jürgen, 2006. "Krankenversicherungsreform in den Niederlanden: Vorbild für einen Kompromiss zwischen Bürgerversicherung und Pauschalprämie in Deutschland?," IBES Diskussionsbeiträge 150, University of Duisburg-Essen, Institute of Business and Economic Studie (IBES).
    7. Rudy Douven & Marco Ligthart & H. Lieverdink & I. Vermeulen, 2007. "Measuring annual price elasticities in Dutch health insurance; a new method," CPB Discussion Paper 90, CPB Netherlands Bureau for Economic Policy Analysis.
    8. Boone, J. & Douven, R.C.M.H. & Droge, C. & Mosca, I., 2010. "Health Insurance Competition : The Effect of Group Contracts," Other publications TiSEM 44af3534-397e-45cd-b1f9-5, Tilburg University, School of Economics and Management.
    9. Rudy Douven & Marco Ligthart & H. Lieverdink & I. Vermeulen, 2007. "Measuring annual price elasticities in Dutch health insurance; a new method," CPB Discussion Paper 90.rdf, CPB Netherlands Bureau for Economic Policy Analysis.
    10. van den Berg, Bernard & Van Dommelen, Paula & Stam, Piet & Laske-Aldershof, Trea & Buchmueller, Tom & Schut, Frederik T., 2008. "Preferences and choices for care and health insurance," Social Science & Medicine, Elsevier, vol. 66(12), pages 2448-2459, June.

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    More about this item

    JEL classification:

    • I11 - Health, Education, and Welfare - - Health - - - Analysis of Health Care Markets
    • I18 - Health, Education, and Welfare - - Health - - - Government Policy; Regulation; Public Health
    • L11 - Industrial Organization - - Market Structure, Firm Strategy, and Market Performance - - - Production, Pricing, and Market Structure; Size Distribution of Firms
    • D41 - Microeconomics - - Market Structure, Pricing, and Design - - - Perfect Competition

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