We investigate whether people enrolled into voluntary health insurance (VHI) substitute public consumption with private (opt out) or just enlarge their private consumption, without reducing reliance upon public provisions (top up). We study the case of Italy, where a mixed insurance system is in...

In this paper we assess the relative effectiveness of user charges and administrative waiting times as a tool for rationing public healthcare in Italy. We measure demand elasticities by estimating a simultaneous equation model of GP primary care visits, public specialist consultations and...

In this paper we assess the relative effectiveness of user charges and administrative waiting times as a tool for rationing public healthcare in Italy. We measure demand elasticities by estimating a simultaneous equation model of GP primary care visits, public specialist consultations and...

We consider how purchasers and providers negotiate the quality element of contracts when the purchasers are required to link a fixed proportion of revenue to quality. A simple model predicts that the complexity of the quality element will depend on purchaser and provider characteristics. Using...

We study a simple exogeneity test in count data models with possibly endogenous multinomial treatment. The test is based on Two Stage Residual Inclusion (2SRI). Results from a broad Monte Carlo study provide novel evidence on important features of this approach in nonlinear settings. We find...

In an attempt to curb the continuing surge in health care expenditure, many governments either mandate or encourage managed care (MC) plans in health insurance. Since MC plans limit patient choice with regard to physicians, hospitals, drugs, and other dimensions of health care, a natural...

Whereas in the United States, managed care (MC) plans have been part of the health care system for quite some time, they are still little known in European systems. In Germany in particular, policy makers would like to see a broad majority of the insured population shift to MC plans, hoping to...

Individuals seeking health care in Senegal, face different options in terms of which type of health service to use (public, private or traditional). This article identifies the socioeconomic and demographic characteristics that influence the use of health care providers in Senegal using a...

We use the 2004-'05 wave of the Australian National Health Survey to estimate the impact of private hospital insurance on the propensity for hospitalization as a private patient. We employ instrumental-variable methods to account for the endogeneity of supplementary private hospital insurance...