Hospitals hold a special place in the hearts of Canadians as the most visible representation of provinces’ commitment to publicly funded healthcare. As pillars of medicare and the centrepieces of provincial healthcare systems, hospitals are expected to be accessible when Canadians have...

The separate identification of effects due to incentives, selection and preference heterogeneity in insurance markets is the topic of much debate. In this paper, we investigate the presence and variation in moral hazard across health care procedures. The key motivating hypothesis is the...

We compare duopoly competition with a regulated public monopoly in the health care insurance sector using the two-sided market approach. Health plans allow policyholders and physicians to interact. Policyholders have a preference for one of two health plans and value the diversity of physicians....

Home equity has a strong impact on individual health. In UK household panel data home equity lowers the likelihood of home owners exhibiting a broad range of medical conditions. This is due to increased use of private health care, reduced hours of work and increased exercise. Home equity, unlike...

This paper presents the results of a revealed-choice experiment testing the theoretical predictions of a model of a mixed system of public and private finance. In the context of a mixed system of health care finance, we investigate behavioural responses to changing the public sector allocation...

This study estimates the effects of a mandatory, universal prescription drug insurance program in a public health care system with free physician and hospital services. In 1997 all residents of the province of Quebec, Canada, were required by law to have drug insurance coverage. Under this...

Claims of the unsustainability of Medicare abound and have been fuelled by the consequences of the 2008-09 economic recession. The looming question for Canadian public health care services is "How will public administrations in Canada sustain their health care expenditures during the next few...

In this document we analyze the infrastructure and human resources (hospitals, beds, ORs, doctors and nurses, among others), both in the public and the private sector, to determine the installed capacity in the country to meet the potential demand that will be faced in case of universal...

One of the greatest success stories in our societies is that people are living longer, life expectancy at birth being now above 80 years. Whereas the lengthening of life opens huge opportunities for individuals if extra years are spent in prosperity and good health, it is however often regarded...

Covering medical costs is very important, in order to solve the various financial problems that limit the users’ access to health care (patients attending the public hospitals). Designing a new model of financing system by using an additional levy to the local tax revenue is one of the...