How do sudden, large wealth losses affect mental health? Most prior studies of the causal effects of material well-being on health use identification strategies involving income increases; these studies as well as prior research on stock market accumulations may not inform this question if the...

We use a Regression Discontinuity Design (RDD) to evaluate the impact of cost-sharing on the use of health services. In the Italian health system, individuals reaching age 65 and earning low incomes are given total exemption from cost-sharing for health services consumption. Since the...

Bundesgesundheitsminister Rösler sieht in einer der Reform der Beitragserhebung in der Gesetzlichen Krankenversicherung sein wichtigstes Projekt. Diese hat eine große Bedeutung für die Stärkung des Wettbewerbs in der GKV. Jedoch sind andere Themen für Effizienz, Qualität und Nachhaltigkeit...

Location-specific norms of behavior are a widespread phenomenon. In the case of medical practice, numerous studies have found that geographic location exerts a strong influence on the choice of treatments and procedures. This paper shows how the presence of social influence on treatment...

Background: Across the member countries of the Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD), pay-for-performance (P4P) programs have been implemented in the inpatient sector to improve the quality of care provided by hospitals. However, little is known about whether such...

This paper investigates the factors influencing the allocation of time between public and private sectors by medical specialists. A discrete choice structural labour supply model is estimated, where specialists choose from a set of job packages that are characterised by the number of working...

This paper compares health care systems. It looks beyond normal academic, political, or journalistic rhetoric, by exactly sticking to facts, i.e. empirical data (in particular data provided by the WHO) and comprehensive case study analyses. The paper finds that a number of myths and common...

In the United States, many young adults do not have full-year health insurance. However, insurance coverage increases as young adults mature, obtain education, and work experience. Previous empirical work has not determined whether the increase in insurance coverage associated with age is caused...

This paper analyzes the potential unintended consequences and incentive effects of the Affordable Care Act's minimum medical loss ratio (MLR) regulations, which are designed to guarantee that a specific percentage of health insurance premiums are spent on medical care and activities that improve...