Regulated competition in health insurance markets

The efficient delivery of medical services may be pursued by intensifying competition among health care insurers. This paper develops a model of regulated competition among health care insurers. It shows that increasing competition may foster efficiency-raising activities, reduce insurer profits and lower health care costs. However, it may also increase the variability of consumer premiums and increase risk-type specific selection activities by insurers as the government will generally lack information on the risk characteristics of the insured.