This paper examines the effect of copayments on doctor visits using the German health care reform of 2004 as a natural experiment. In January 2004, copayments of 10 euros for the first doctor visit in each quarter have been introduced for all adults in the statutory health insurance. Individuals...

The interdependence of labor market conditions and the demand for health care has been addressed by several theoretical and empirical analyses. We contribute to the debate by empirically examining the effect of a decrease in self-perceived job security on health care utilization. That is,...

This paper examines the effect of copayments on doctor visits using the German health care reform of 2004 as a natural experiment. In January 2004, copayments of 10 euros for the first doctor visit in each quarter have been introduced for all adults in the statutory health insurance. Individuals...

We analyse the financial performance of small German hospitals based on balance sheet data of about 1,000 hospitals in 2007. Measures of financial performance are the earnings before interest, tax, depreciation, and amortisation (EBITDA) and the probability of default (PD). We find that, on...

The privatisation of hospitals, i.e. a change in their type of ownership from the municipal and private non-profit type to the private profit-oriented type, has been the subject of heated debate ever since this development began back in the early 1990s. To objectivise this debate, the Fact Books...

Eine Erhöhung der Zahl der Pflegekräfte könnte die Versorgungsqualität und Patientenzufriedenheit verbessern. Eine wichtige Frage lautet, wie genau die Versorgungsqualität für die Patienten vom Personaleinsatz abhängt. Unklar ist, an welcher Stelle des Personaleinsatzes - und hier...