In this paper we identify a number of objectionable features of the German retirement benefit formula. We show that groups of insureds with higher than average life expectancy, in particular high-income groups, are subsidized by the rest of the membership because the formula neglects differences...

Idee und Ziele des Risikostrukturausgleichs - Der Risikostrukturausgleich (im folgenden: RSA) in der Gesetzlichen Krankenversicherung wurde mit dem Gesundheits-Strukturgesetz von 1993 eingeführt und trat am 1.1.1994 in Kraft. Mit dem selben Gesetz wurden auch die Wahl- und Wechselmöglichkeiten...

As one possible solution to the well-known financing crisis of unfunded social security systems, an increase in the retirement age is a popular option. To induce workers to retire later, it has been proposed to strengthen the link between retirement age and benefit level. The present paper is...

Dieser Beitrag untersucht die Folgen einer Einbeziehung der Selbständigen in die gesetzlichen Rentenversicherung. Im Mittelpunkt der Betrachtung stehen die impliziten Steuersätze für die einzelnen Generationen und Versichertengruppen. Es wird gezeigt, dass eine Einbeziehung der Selbständigen...

In response to the growing burden of obesity, public primary prevention programs against obesity have been widely recommended. Several studies estimated the cost effects of diabetes prevention trials for different countries and found that diabetes prevention can be costeffective. Nevertheless,...

Most systems of health care financing in EU member states currently include elements of income redistribution. The paper analyzes the effects of shifting this kind of redistribution to the tax system and argues that this reform could create two types of efficiency gains. On the expenditure side,...

In a recent paper, Pratt and Zeckhauser (JPE, 1996) discuss the measure of individuals' willingness to pay (WTP) for the reduction of risks to their lives which should be used for public decisions on risk-reducing projects. They suggest to correct observed WTP for the "dead-anyway" effect, which...

We report results of a survey of a representative sample of the German population in which respondents were asked for their willingness-to-pay (WTP) for either an extension of their life or an improvement in their health corresponding to a gain of one quality-adjusted life year (QALY). While one...

In several OECD countries, public pay-as-you-go financed pension systems have undergone major reforms in which future retirement benefit promises have been scaled down. A consequence of these reforms is that especially in countries with a tight tax-benefit linkage, the retirement benefit claims...

It is still an open question whether increasing life expectancy as such is causing higher health care expenditures (HCE) in a population. According to the red herring hypothesis, the positive correlation between age and HCE is exclusively due to the fact that mortality rises with age and a large...