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The Purpose and Limits of Social Health Insurance

Author

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  • Peter Zweifel

    (Socioeconomic Institute, University of Zurich)

Abstract

This contribution seeks to answer two related questions. First, what is the purpose of social health insurance? Or put in slightly different terms, what are the reasons for social (or public) health insurance to exist, even to dominate private health insurance in most developed countries? And second, what are the limits of social health insurance? Can one say that there is "too much" social health insurance in the following two senses: Should the balance be shifted towards the private alternative? And is the degree of coverage excessive?

Suggested Citation

  • Peter Zweifel, 2005. "The Purpose and Limits of Social Health Insurance," SOI - Working Papers 0509, Socioeconomic Institute - University of Zurich, revised Sep 2005.
    • Handle: RePEc:soz:wpaper:0509
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    File URL: https://www.econ.uzh.ch/apps/workingpapers/wp/wp0509.pdf
    File Function: Revised version, 2005
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    References listed on IDEAS

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    Cited by:

    1. Ronald Eduardo Gómez Suárez, 2007. "Cream-Skimming And Risk Adjustment in Colombian Health Insurance System:: The Public Insurer Case," Archivos de Economía 4295, Departamento Nacional de Planeación.

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    More about this item

    Keywords

    social health insurance; private health insurance; insurance coverage;
    All these keywords.

    JEL classification:

    • I11 - Health, Education, and Welfare - - Health - - - Analysis of Health Care Markets
    • I18 - Health, Education, and Welfare - - Health - - - Government Policy; Regulation; Public Health

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