IDEAS home Printed from https://ideas.repec.org/a/wly/hlthec/v23y2014i6p670-687.html
   My bibliography  Save this article

Public And Private Health Insurance In Germany: The Ignored Risk Selection Problem

Author

Listed:
  • Martina Grunow
  • Robert Nuscheler

Abstract

We investigate risk selection between public and private health insurance in Germany. With risk‐rated premiums in the private system and community‐rated premiums in the public system, advantageous selection in favor of private insurers is expected. Using 2000 to 2007 data from the German Socio‐Economic Panel Study (SOEP), we find such selection. While private insurers are unable to select the healthy upon enrollment, they profit from an increase in the probability to switch from private to public health insurance of those individuals who have experienced a negative health shock. To avoid distorted competition between the two branches of health care financing, risk‐adjusted transfers from private to public insurers should be instituted. Copyright © 2013 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.

Suggested Citation

  • Martina Grunow & Robert Nuscheler, 2014. "Public And Private Health Insurance In Germany: The Ignored Risk Selection Problem," Health Economics, John Wiley & Sons, Ltd., vol. 23(6), pages 670-687, June.
    • Handle: RePEc:wly:hlthec:v:23:y:2014:i:6:p:670-687
    DOI: 10.1002/hec.2942
    as

    Download full text from publisher

    File URL: https://doi.org/10.1002/hec.2942
    Download Restriction: no
    File URL: https://libkey.io/10.1002/hec.2942?utm_source=ideas
    LibKey link: if access is restricted and if your library uses this service, LibKey will redirect you to where you can use your library subscription to access this item
    ---><---

    Other versions of this item:

    References listed on IDEAS

    as
    1. Sean Nicholson & Kate Bundorf & Rebecca M. Stein & Daniel Polsky, 2003. "The Magnitude and Nature of Risk Selection in Employer-Sponsored Health Plans," NBER Working Papers 9937, National Bureau of Economic Research, Inc.
    2. Mathias Kifmann & Normann Lorenz, 2011. "Optimal cost reimbursement of health insurers to reduce risk selection," Health Economics, John Wiley & Sons, Ltd., vol. 20(5), pages 532-552, May.
    3. Buchner, Florian & Wasem, Jurgen, 2003. "Needs for further improvement: risk adjustment in the German health insurance system," Health Policy, Elsevier, vol. 65(1), pages 21-35, July.
    4. van de Ven, Wynand P. M. M. & Beck, Konstantin & Buchner, Florian & Chernichovsky, Dov & Gardiol, Lucien & Holly, Alberto & Lamers, Leida M. & Schokkaert, Erik & Shmueli, Amir & Spycher, Stephan & Van, 2003. "Risk adjustment and risk selection on the sickness fund insurance market in five European countries," Health Policy, Elsevier, vol. 65(1), pages 75-98, July.
    5. Neil J. Buckley & Katherine Cuff & Jeremiah Hurley & Logan McLeod & Robert Nuscheler & David Cameron, 2012. "Willingness‐to‐pay for parallel private health insurance: evidence from a laboratory experiment," Canadian Journal of Economics/Revue canadienne d'économique, John Wiley & Sons, vol. 45(1), pages 137-166, February.
    6. David M. Cutler & Sarah J. Reber, 1998. "Paying for Health Insurance: The Trade-Off between Competition and Adverse Selection," The Quarterly Journal of Economics, President and Fellows of Harvard College, vol. 113(2), pages 433-466.
    7. Doorslaer, Eddy van & Jones, Andrew M., 2003. "Inequalities in self-reported health: validation of a new approach to measurement," Journal of Health Economics, Elsevier, vol. 22(1), pages 61-87, January.
    8. Robert Nuscheler & Thomas Knaus, 2005. "Risk selection in the German public health insurance system," Health Economics, John Wiley & Sons, Ltd., vol. 14(12), pages 1253-1271, December.
    9. Gert G. Wagner & Joachim R. Frick & Jürgen Schupp, 2007. "The German Socio-Economic Panel Study (SOEP) – Scope, Evolution and Enhancements," Schmollers Jahrbuch : Journal of Applied Social Science Studies / Zeitschrift für Wirtschafts- und Sozialwissenschaften, Duncker & Humblot, Berlin, vol. 127(1), pages 139-169.
    10. Marcus Tamm & Harald Tauchmann & Jürgen Wasem & Stefan Greß, 2007. "Elasticities of market shares and social health insurance choice in germany: a dynamic panel data approach," Health Economics, John Wiley & Sons, Ltd., vol. 16(3), pages 243-256, March.
    11. Martina Grunow & Robert Nuscheler, 2014. "Public And Private Health Insurance In Germany: The Ignored Risk Selection Problem," Health Economics, John Wiley & Sons, Ltd., vol. 23(6), pages 670-687, June.
    12. Grossman, Michael, 1972. "On the Concept of Health Capital and the Demand for Health," Journal of Political Economy, University of Chicago Press, vol. 80(2), pages 223-255, March-Apr.
    13. Van de ven, Wynand P.M.M. & Ellis, Randall P., 2000. "Risk adjustment in competitive health plan markets," Handbook of Health Economics, in: A. J. Culyer & J. P. Newhouse (ed.), Handbook of Health Economics, edition 1, volume 1, chapter 14, pages 755-845, Elsevier.
    14. Crossley, Thomas F. & Kennedy, Steven, 2002. "The reliability of self-assessed health status," Journal of Health Economics, Elsevier, vol. 21(4), pages 643-658, July.
    Full references (including those not matched with items on IDEAS)

    Most related items

    These are the items that most often cite the same works as this one and are cited by the same works as this one.
    1. Pilny, Adam & Wübker, Ansgar & Ziebarth, Nicolas R., 2017. "Introducing risk adjustment and free health plan choice in employer-based health insurance: Evidence from Germany," Journal of Health Economics, Elsevier, vol. 56(C), pages 330-351.
    2. Robert Nuscheler & Thomas Knaus, 2005. "Risk selection in the German public health insurance system," Health Economics, John Wiley & Sons, Ltd., vol. 14(12), pages 1253-1271, December.
    3. Jacob Glazer & Thomas G. McGuire, 2006. "Contending with Risk Selection in Health Insurance Markets in Germany," Perspektiven der Wirtschaftspolitik, Verein für Socialpolitik, vol. 7(s1), pages 75-91, May.
    4. Bünnings, Christian & Schmitz, Hendrik & Tauchmann, Harald & Ziebarth, Nicolas R., 2015. "How health plan enrollees value prices relative to supplemental benefits and service quality," FAU Discussion Papers in Economics 02/2015, Friedrich-Alexander University Erlangen-Nuremberg, Institute for Economics.
    5. Christian Bünnings & Hendrik Schmitz & Harald Tauchmann & Nicolas R. Ziebarth, 2015. "How Health Plan Enrollees Value Prices Relative to Supplemental Benefits and Service Quality," Ruhr Economic Papers 0545, Rheinisch-Westfälisches Institut für Wirtschaftsforschung, Ruhr-Universität Bochum, Universität Dortmund, Universität Duisburg-Essen.
    6. Schmitz, Hendrik & Ziebarth, Nicolas R., 2011. "In Absolute or Relative Terms? How Framing Prices Affects the Consumer Price Sensitivity of Health Plan Choice," IZA Discussion Papers 6241, Institute of Labor Economics (IZA).
    7. Knaus, Thomas & Nuscheler, Robert, 2002. "Incomplete risk adjustment and adverse selection in the German public health insurance system [Unvollständiger Risikostrukturausgleich und Adverse Selektion in der Gesetzlichen Krankenversicherung ," Discussion Papers, Research Unit: Market Processes and Governance FS IV 02-27, WZB Berlin Social Science Center.
    8. repec:zbw:rwirep:0304 is not listed on IDEAS
    9. Hendrik Schmitz & Nicolas R. Ziebarth, 2011. "In Absolute or Relative Terms? How Framing Prices Affects the Consumer Price Sensitivity of," Ruhr Economic Papers 0304, Rheinisch-Westfälisches Institut für Wirtschaftsforschung, Ruhr-Universität Bochum, Universität Dortmund, Universität Duisburg-Essen.
    10. repec:zbw:rwirep:0545 is not listed on IDEAS
    11. Schmitz, Hendrik, 2008. "Do Optional Deductibles Reduce the Number of Doctor Visits? – Empirical Evidence with German Data," Ruhr Economic Papers 76, RWI - Leibniz-Institut für Wirtschaftsforschung, Ruhr-University Bochum, TU Dortmund University, University of Duisburg-Essen.
    12. Robert Nuscheler, 2004. "Krankenkassenwettbewerb in der GKV: Evidenz für Risikoselektion?," Vierteljahrshefte zur Wirtschaftsforschung / Quarterly Journal of Economic Research, DIW Berlin, German Institute for Economic Research, vol. 73(4), pages 528-538.
    13. Mark Stabile & Sarah Thomson, 2014. "The Changing Role of Government in Financing Health Care: An International Perspective," Journal of Economic Literature, American Economic Association, vol. 52(2), pages 480-518, June.
    14. Xu, Weiwei & van de Ven, Wynand P.M.M., 2013. "Consumer choice among Mutual Healthcare Purchasers: A feasible option for China?," Social Science & Medicine, Elsevier, vol. 96(C), pages 277-284.
    15. Juergen Jung, 2022. "Estimating transition probabilities between health states using US longitudinal survey data," Empirical Economics, Springer, vol. 63(2), pages 901-943, August.
    16. Randall P. Ellis & Juan Gabriel Fernandez, 2013. "Risk Selection, Risk Adjustment and Choice: Concepts and Lessons from the Americas," IJERPH, MDPI, vol. 10(11), pages 1-34, October.
    17. Beni­tez-Silva, Hugo & Ni, Huan, 2008. "Health status and health dynamics in an empirical model of expected longevity," Journal of Health Economics, Elsevier, vol. 27(3), pages 564-584, May.
    18. repec:hal:spmain:info:hdl:2441/3ihldo33ik9ee94procjtfki5f is not listed on IDEAS
    19. Manuel García-Goñi & Pere Ibern & José Inoriza, 2009. "Hybrid risk adjustment for pharmaceutical benefits," The European Journal of Health Economics, Springer;Deutsche Gesellschaft für Gesundheitsökonomie (DGGÖ), vol. 10(3), pages 299-308, July.
    20. Michiel Bijlsma & Jan Boone & Gijsbert Zwart, 2014. "Competition leverage: how the demand side affects optimal risk adjustment," RAND Journal of Economics, RAND Corporation, vol. 45(4), pages 792-815, December.
    21. Deber, Raisa B. & Forget, Evelyn L. & Roos, Leslie L., 2004. "Medical savings accounts in a universal system: wishful thinking meets evidence," Health Policy, Elsevier, vol. 70(1), pages 49-66, October.
    22. Camilo Cid & Randall P. Ellis & Verónica Vargas & Juergen Wasem & Lorena Prieto, 2015. "Global Risk-Adjusted Payment Models," Boston University - Department of Economics - Working Papers Series wp2015-021, Boston University - Department of Economics.
    23. repec:ebl:ecbull:v:9:y:2005:i:9:p:1-17 is not listed on IDEAS
    24. Christian Bünnings & Harald Tauchmann, 2015. "Who Opts out of the Statutory Health Insurance? A Discrete Time Hazard Model for Germany," Health Economics, John Wiley & Sons, Ltd., vol. 24(10), pages 1331-1347, October.

    More about this item

    JEL classification:

    • C13 - Mathematical and Quantitative Methods - - Econometric and Statistical Methods and Methodology: General - - - Estimation: General
    • C23 - Mathematical and Quantitative Methods - - Single Equation Models; Single Variables - - - Models with Panel Data; Spatio-temporal Models
    • I10 - Health, Education, and Welfare - - Health - - - General
    • I18 - Health, Education, and Welfare - - Health - - - Government Policy; Regulation; Public Health

    Statistics

    Access and download statistics

    Corrections

    All material on this site has been provided by the respective publishers and authors. You can help correct errors and omissions. When requesting a correction, please mention this item's handle: RePEc:wly:hlthec:v:23:y:2014:i:6:p:670-687. See general information about how to correct material in RePEc.

    If you have authored this item and are not yet registered with RePEc, we encourage you to do it here. This allows to link your profile to this item. It also allows you to accept potential citations to this item that we are uncertain about.

    If CitEc recognized a bibliographic reference but did not link an item in RePEc to it, you can help with this form .

    If you know of missing items citing this one, you can help us creating those links by adding the relevant references in the same way as above, for each refering item. If you are a registered author of this item, you may also want to check the "citations" tab in your RePEc Author Service profile, as there may be some citations waiting for confirmation.

    For technical questions regarding this item, or to correct its authors, title, abstract, bibliographic or download information, contact: Wiley Content Delivery (email available below). General contact details of provider: http://www3.interscience.wiley.com/cgi-bin/jhome/5749 .

    Please note that corrections may take a couple of weeks to filter through the various RePEc services.

    IDEAS is a RePEc service. RePEc uses bibliographic data supplied by the respective publishers.