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The effect of copayments on primary care utilization: results from a quasi-experiment

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  • Niklas Jakobsson
  • Mikael Svensson

Abstract

This article analyses how health-care utilization is affected by copayments in a tax-financed health-care system. The article utilizes a natural experiment in which a health-care region in Sweden changed the price of healthcare in such a way that primary care general physician prices increased by 33%. We use daily visit data in the treatment region and a neighbouring control region where no price change took place and analyse the effect using differences-in-differences as well as differences-in-differences-in-differences models. The results from the preferred models indicate no effect on health-care utilization due to the price change, a result that also holds across different socio-economic subregions in the treatment region.

Suggested Citation

  • Niklas Jakobsson & Mikael Svensson, 2016. "The effect of copayments on primary care utilization: results from a quasi-experiment," Applied Economics, Taylor & Francis Journals, vol. 48(39), pages 3752-3762, August.
    • Handle: RePEc:taf:applec:v:48:y:2016:i:39:p:3752-3762
    DOI: 10.1080/00036846.2016.1145346
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    Cited by:

    1. Berger, Michael & Six, Eva & Czypionka, Thomas, 2024. "Policy implications of heterogeneous demand reactions to changes in cost-sharing: patient-level evidence from Austria," LSE Research Online Documents on Economics 121162, London School of Economics and Political Science, LSE Library.
    2. Johansson, Naimi & de New, Sonja C. & Kunz, Johannes S. & Petrie, Dennis & Svensson, Mikael, 2023. "Reductions in out-of-pocket prices and forward-looking moral hazard in health care demand," Journal of Health Economics, Elsevier, vol. 87(C).
    3. Berger, Michael & Six, Eva & Czypionka, Thomas, 2024. "Policy implications of heterogeneous demand reactions to changes in cost-sharing: Patient-level evidence from Austria," Social Science & Medicine, Elsevier, vol. 340(C).
    4. Blix, Mårten & Jeansson, Johanna, 2018. "Telemedicine and the Welfare State: The Swedish Experience," Working Paper Series 1238, Research Institute of Industrial Economics.
    5. Wang, Tianyu & Wen, Ke & Gao, Qiuming & Sun, Ruochen, 2023. "Small money, big change: The distributional impact of differentiated doctor's visit fee on healthcare utilization," Social Science & Medicine, Elsevier, vol. 339(C).

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