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Uterus at a Price: Disability Insurance and Hysterectomy

Author

Listed:
  • Elliott Fan

    (Department of Economics, National Taiwan University)

  • Hsienming Lien

    (Department of Public Finance, National Chengchi University)

  • Ching-to Albert Ma

    (Boston University)

Abstract

Taiwanese Labor, Government Employee, and Farmer Insurance programs provide 5-6 months of salary to enrollees who undergo hysterectomy or oophorectomy before their 45th birthday. These programs result in more and earlier treatments, referred as, respectively, inducement and timing effects. Difference-in-difference and nonparametric methods are used to estimate these effects on surgery hazards between 1997 and 2011. For Government Employee and Labor Insurance, inducement is 11-12% of all hysterectomies, and timing 20% of inducement. For oophorectomy, both effects are insignificant. Induced hysterectomies increase benefit payments and surgical costs, at about the cost of a mammogram and 5 pap smears per enrollee.

Suggested Citation

  • Elliott Fan & Hsienming Lien & Ching-to Albert Ma, 2017. "Uterus at a Price: Disability Insurance and Hysterectomy," Boston University - Department of Economics - Working Papers Series WP2018-001, Boston University - Department of Economics.
    • Handle: RePEc:bos:wpaper:wp2018-001
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    More about this item

    Keywords

    disability insurance; moral hazard; hysterectomy; oophorectomy;
    All these keywords.

    JEL classification:

    • I00 - Health, Education, and Welfare - - General - - - General
    • I10 - Health, Education, and Welfare - - Health - - - General
    • I12 - Health, Education, and Welfare - - Health - - - Health Behavior
    • I18 - Health, Education, and Welfare - - Health - - - Government Policy; Regulation; Public Health

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