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Measuring annual price elasticities in Dutch health insurance; a new method

Author

Listed:
  • Rudy Douven

    (CPB Netherlands Bureau for Economic Policy Analysis)

  • Marco Ligthart

    (CPB Netherlands Bureau for Economic Policy Analysis)

  • H. Lieverdink
  • I. Vermeulen

Abstract

This paper proposes a new method for estimating annual price elasticities from market share data of health insurers. This paper proposes a new method for estimating annual price elasticities from market share data of health insurers. In contrast to traditional methods the elasticity is derived from bilateral price elasticities which relate the net share of switchers between two health insurers not only to their premium difference but also to the market share and premium of the higher priced health insurer. Our new method explains the annual variation in the Dutch market share data better than the traditional methods. We find in the Dutch social health insurance for the period 1996-2005 rather low negative annual price elasticities ranging between 1 and 0. In that period stickiness of insurer choices was high and less than 5% of the population switched annually from health insurer. This result, however, was in sharp contrast with an exceptional high price elasticity of 7 for the year 2006, where after a major health care reform about 18% of the population switched mostly to lower priced health insurers. Besides large media coverage, one important difference with previous years was that many consumers holding an individual contract could switch to a lower priced group contract.

Suggested Citation

  • 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.
  • Handle: RePEc:cpb:discus:90
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    References listed on IDEAS

    as
    1. Strombom, Bruce A. & Buchmueller, Thomas C. & Feldstein, Paul J., 2002. "Switching costs, price sensitivity and health plan choice," Journal of Health Economics, Elsevier, vol. 21(1), pages 89-116, January.
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    Full references (including those not matched with items on IDEAS)

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    Cited by:

    1. 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.
    2. Douven, Rudy C.H.M. & Schut, Frederik T., 2011. "Pricing behaviour of nonprofit insurers in a weakly competitive social health insurance market," Journal of Health Economics, Elsevier, vol. 30(2), pages 439-449, March.
    3. Brigitte Dormont & Pierre‐Yves Geoffard & Karine Lamiraud, 2009. "The influence of supplementary health insurance on switching behaviour: evidence from Swiss data," Health Economics, John Wiley & Sons, Ltd., vol. 18(11), pages 1339-1356, November.
    4. Boone, Jan & Douven, Rudy & , & Mosca, Ilaria, 2010. "Health insurance competition: the effect of group contracts," CEPR Discussion Papers 7871, C.E.P.R. Discussion Papers.
    5. Janet Vroomen & Peter Zweifel, 2011. "Preferences for health insurance and health status: does it matter whether you are Dutch or German?," The European Journal of Health Economics, Springer;Deutsche Gesellschaft für Gesundheitsökonomie (DGGÖ), vol. 12(1), pages 87-95, February.
    6. Rudy Douven & Katalin Katona & Erik Schut & Victoria Shestalova, 2017. "Switching gains and health plan price elasticities: 20 years of managed competition reforms in the Netherlands," CPB Discussion Paper 343, CPB Netherlands Bureau for Economic Policy Analysis.
    7. Jonas Pendzialek & Dusan Simic & Stephanie Stock, 2016. "Differences in price elasticities of demand for health insurance: a systematic review," The European Journal of Health Economics, Springer;Deutsche Gesellschaft für Gesundheitsökonomie (DGGÖ), vol. 17(1), pages 5-21, January.
    8. 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.
    9. Rudy Douven & Katalin Katona & Frederik Schut & Victoria Shestalova, 2017. "Switching gains and health plan price elasticities: 20 years of managed competition reforms in The Netherlands," The European Journal of Health Economics, Springer;Deutsche Gesellschaft für Gesundheitsökonomie (DGGÖ), vol. 18(8), pages 1047-1064, November.
    10. 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.
    11. 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.
    12. Rudy Douven & Katalin Katona & Erik Schut & Victoria Shestalova, 2017. "Switching gains and health plan price elasticities: 20 years of managed competition reforms in the Netherlands," CPB Discussion Paper 343.rdf, CPB Netherlands Bureau for Economic Policy Analysis.
    13. Rudy Douven & Rein Halbersma & Katalin Katona & Victoria Shestalova, 2014. "Vertical Integration and Exclusive Behavior of Insurers and Hospitals," Journal of Economics & Management Strategy, Wiley Blackwell, vol. 23(2), pages 344-368, June.

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    More about this item

    JEL classification:

    • D12 - Microeconomics - - Household Behavior - - - Consumer Economics: Empirical Analysis
    • 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

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