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Long-Run Consequences of Health Insurance Promotion: Evidence from a Field Experiment in Ghana

Author

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  • Asuming, Patrick Opoku

    (University of Ghana)

  • Kim, Hyuncheol Bryant

    (Cornell University)

  • Sim, Armand

    (Monash University)

Abstract

We study the long-run impacts of health insurance promotion in Northern Ghana. We randomly provide three overlapping interventions to promote enrollment: subsidy, information campaign, and convenient sign-up option, with follow-up surveys seven months and three years after the initial intervention. Our interventions, especially the subsidy, promote enrollment and healthcare service utilization in the short and long runs. We also find short-run health status improvements, which disappear in the long run. We find suggestive evidence on decreased investment in disease prevention and selection that may help explain this pattern of health status changes.

Suggested Citation

  • Asuming, Patrick Opoku & Kim, Hyuncheol Bryant & Sim, Armand, 2017. "Long-Run Consequences of Health Insurance Promotion: Evidence from a Field Experiment in Ghana," IZA Discussion Papers 11117, Institute of Labor Economics (IZA).
    • Handle: RePEc:iza:izadps:dp11117
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    References listed on IDEAS

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    Cited by:

    1. Gabriella Conti & Rita Ginja, 2023. "Who Benefits from Free Health Insurance?: Evidence from Mexico," Journal of Human Resources, University of Wisconsin Press, vol. 58(1), pages 146-182.
    2. Patrick Asuming & Hyuncheol Bryant Kim & Armand Sim, 2018. "Long-run Consequences of Health Insurance Promotion When Mandates are Not Enforceable: Evidence from a Field Experiment in Ghana," Papers 1811.09004, arXiv.org, revised Jun 2019.

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    More about this item

    Keywords

    health insurance; sustainability; moral hazard; selection; screening effect; randomized experiments;
    All these keywords.

    JEL classification:

    • I1 - Health, Education, and Welfare - - Health
    • O12 - Economic Development, Innovation, Technological Change, and Growth - - Economic Development - - - Microeconomic Analyses of Economic Development

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