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The effect of private insurance access on the choice of GP/specialist and public/private provider in Spain

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  • Marisol Rodríguez
  • Alexandrina Stoyanova

Abstract

This paper sheds light into the investigation of differential patterns of utilisation of physician services by populations subgroups that is emerging in a number of studies. Using Spanish data from the National Health Survey of 1997 we try to explain the distinct role of the type of insurance on the choice between specialists and GPs and its intertwining with the choice between private and public providers. We estimate a two‐stages probit to conclude that differences in insurance access is the main determinant of both, the choice of sector and the kind of physician contacted, giving rise to very different patterns of consumption of GP and specialist visits. People with only public insurance go 2.8 times to the GP per one time that they visit a specialist; individuals with duplicate coverage have a ratio of GP/specialist visits equal to 1.4 (the combination being public GP and private specialist) and people with only private insurance access actually have an ‘inverted’ pattern of visits: they contact specialists more often than GPs. Age, sex and health and public supply characteristics also have a distinct and interesting impact on these choices. Finally, equity concerns based on the implied assumption that specialists care is superior to general practitioner care are discussed. Copyright © 2003 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.

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  • Marisol Rodríguez & Alexandrina Stoyanova, 2004. "The effect of private insurance access on the choice of GP/specialist and public/private provider in Spain," Health Economics, John Wiley & Sons, Ltd., vol. 13(7), pages 689-703, July.
  • Handle: RePEc:wly:hlthec:v:13:y:2004:i:7:p:689-703
    DOI: 10.1002/hec.832
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    1. Bíró, Anikó & Hellowell, Mark, 2016. "Public–private sector interactions and the demand for supplementary health insurance in the United Kingdom," Health Policy, Elsevier, vol. 120(7), pages 840-847.
    2. Erik Schokkaert & Tom Van Ourti & Diana De Graeve & Ann Lecluyse & Carine Van de Voorde, 2010. "Supplemental health insurance and equality of access in Belgium," Health Economics, John Wiley & Sons, Ltd., vol. 19(4), pages 377-395, April.
    3. Aïda Solé-Auró & Montserrat Guillén & Eileen Crimmins, 2012. "Health care usage among immigrants and native-born elderly populations in eleven European countries: results from SHARE," The European Journal of Health Economics, Springer;Deutsche Gesellschaft für Gesundheitsökonomie (DGGÖ), vol. 13(6), pages 741-754, December.
    4. González Álvarez, M Luz & Barranquero, Antonio Clavero, 2009. "Inequalities in health care utilization in Spain due to double insurance coverage: An Oaxaca-Ransom decomposition," Social Science & Medicine, Elsevier, vol. 69(5), pages 793-801, September.
    5. Joan Costa‐Font & Mireia Jofre‐Bonet, 2008. "Is There A ‘Secession Of The Wealthy’? Private Health Insurance Uptake And National Health System Support," Bulletin of Economic Research, Wiley Blackwell, vol. 60(3), pages 265-287, July.
    6. Eddy van Doorslaer & Andrew M. Jones, 2004. "Income‐related inequality in health and health care in the European Union," Health Economics, John Wiley & Sons, Ltd., vol. 13(7), pages 605-608, July.
    7. Omar Paccagnella & Vincenzo Rebba & Guglielmo Weber, 2013. "VOLUNTARY PRIVATE HEALTH INSURANCE AMONG THE OVER 50s IN EUROPE," Health Economics, John Wiley & Sons, Ltd., vol. 22(3), pages 289-315, March.
    8. Brenna, Elenka & Giammanco, Maria Daniela, 2024. "The use of voluntary health insurance in the access to specialist care: Evidence from the Italian NHS," Socio-Economic Planning Sciences, Elsevier, vol. 93(C).
    9. Marisol Rodríguez & Alexandrina Stoyanova, 2008. "Changes in the demand for private medical insurance following a shift in tax incentives," Health Economics, John Wiley & Sons, Ltd., vol. 17(2), pages 185-202, February.

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