I examine the problem of writing guaranteed renewable health insurance in the presence of medical spending growth. Prior research suggests that the growth and difficulty in forecasting future medical costs is an impediment to multiperiod health insurance, where contract reserves are used to...

In developing economies, health shocks play a significant role in instigating and sustaining poverty. The impact of high catastrophic out-of-pocket health expenditure also fosters a culture in which people decide not to use services because they cannot afford either the direct costs, such as for...

Obtaining health insurance through an employer pools risk, but may lead to moral hazard, where employees with more coverage seek care valued below cost, and adverse selection, where the unhealthy choose more generous plans, driving up premiums. In the first essay, I model the decision to choose...

The expansion of Medicare benefits to include coverage for prescription drug (Part D) is the largest since the program's inception. The benefit is delivered through private insurers competing for beneficiaries by offering a variety of options and features. Understanding preferences of...

Examining committee: Colleen Chrisinger

Employers throughout West Michigan continue to feel the crushing impact of rising healthcare costs. Nationally, year-over-year increases in health insurance premium costs have exceeded the overall inflation rate since 2000 by about a four-to-one margin. Figure 1-1 highlights the magnitude of...