Testing for ethnic discrimination in outpatient health care: evidence from a field experiment in Germany
Martin Halla, Christopher Kah, Rupert Sausgruber
To test for ethnic discrimination in access to outpatient health care services, we carry out an email-correspondence study in Germany. We approach 3,224 physician offices in the 79 largest cities in Germany with fictitious appointment requests and randomized patients' characteristics. We find that patients' ethnicity, as signaled by distinct Turkish versus German names, does not affect whether they receive an appointment or wait time. In contrast, patients with private insurance are 31 percent more likely to receive an appointment. Holding a private insurance also increases the likelihood of receiving a response and reduces the wait time. This suggests that physicians use leeway to prioritize privately insured patients to enhance their earnings, but they do not discriminate persons of Turkish origin based on taste. Still, their behavior creates means-based barriers for economically disadvantaged groups.
Year of publication: |
November 2021
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Authors: | Halla, Martin ; Kah, Christopher ; Sausgruber, Rupert |
Publisher: |
Bonn, Germany : IZA - Institute of Labor Economics |
Subject: | discrimination | immigrants | ethnicity | health care markets | health insurance | inequality | correspondence experiment | field experiment | Deutschland | Germany | Ethnische Diskriminierung | Ethnic discrimination | Feldforschung | Field research | Ethnische Gruppe | Ethnic group | Experiment | Diskriminierung | Discrimination | Migranten | Migrants | Arbeitsmarktdiskriminierung | Labour market discrimination | Krankenversicherung | Health insurance | Gesundheitswesen | Health care system |
Saved in:
freely available
Extent: | 1 Online-Ressource (circa 51 Seiten) Illustrationen |
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Series: | Discussion paper series / IZA. - Bonn : IZA, ZDB-ID 2120053-1. - Vol. no. 14886 |
Type of publication: | Book / Working Paper |
Type of publication (narrower categories): | Graue Literatur ; Non-commercial literature ; Arbeitspapier ; Working Paper |
Language: | English |
Other identifiers: | hdl:10419/250547 [Handle] |
Classification: | I11 - Analysis of Health Care Markets ; J15 - Economics of Minorities and Races ; i14 ; I18 - Government Policy; Regulation; Public Health ; H51 - Government Expenditures and Health ; C93 - Field Experiments |
Source: | ECONIS - Online Catalogue of the ZBW |
Persistent link: https://www.econbiz.de/10012705540