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Risk Aversion, Moral Hazard and Gender Differences in Health Care Utilization

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  • Zheng, Yan
  • Vukina, Tomislav
  • Zheng, Xiaoyong

Abstract

This paper uses truncated count model with endogeneity and simulated maximum likelihood estimation technique to estimate gender differences in moral hazard in health care insurance. We use the dataset which consists of invoices for all outpatient services from a regional hospital in Croatia. Our theoretical model predicts that higher risk aversion is associated with smaller moral hazard effect. If women are more risk-averse than men, then the moral hazard effect due to health insurance should be lower in women than in men. Whereas the overall results show a statistically significant evidence of moral hazard for the general population, we found economically small but statistically significant larger moral hazard in women than in men.

Suggested Citation

  • Zheng, Yan & Vukina, Tomislav & Zheng, Xiaoyong, 2017. "Risk Aversion, Moral Hazard and Gender Differences in Health Care Utilization," ARE Working Papers 262936, North Carolina State University, Department of Agricultural and Resource Economics.
    • Handle: RePEc:ags:ncarwp:262936
    DOI: 10.22004/ag.econ.262936
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    Cited by:

    1. Kurt Lavetti & Thomas DeLeire & Nicolas R. Ziebarth, 2023. "How do low‐income enrollees in the Affordable Care Act marketplaces respond to cost‐sharing?," Journal of Risk & Insurance, The American Risk and Insurance Association, vol. 90(1), pages 155-183, March.

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    More about this item

    Keywords

    Risk and Uncertainty;

    JEL classification:

    • C14 - Mathematical and Quantitative Methods - - Econometric and Statistical Methods and Methodology: General - - - Semiparametric and Nonparametric Methods: General
    • D82 - Microeconomics - - Information, Knowledge, and Uncertainty - - - Asymmetric and Private Information; Mechanism Design
    • I11 - Health, Education, and Welfare - - Health - - - Analysis of Health Care Markets
    • J16 - Labor and Demographic Economics - - Demographic Economics - - - Economics of Gender; Non-labor Discrimination

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