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Risk Classification and Health Insurance

Author

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  • Georges Dionne
  • Casey G. Rothschild

Abstract

Risk classification refers to the use of observable characteristics by insurers to group individuals with similar expected claims, compute the corresponding premiums, and thereby reduce asymmetric information. With perfect risk classification, premiums fully reflect the expected cost associated with each class of risk characteristics and yield efficient outcomes. In the health sector, risk classification is also subject to concerns about social equity and potential discrimination. We present an analytical framework that illustrates the potential trade-off between efficient insurance provision and social equity. We also review empirical studies on risk classification and residual asymmetric information that inform this trade-off.

Suggested Citation

  • Georges Dionne & Casey G. Rothschild, 2012. "Risk Classification and Health Insurance," Cahiers de recherche 1232, CIRPEE.
    • Handle: RePEc:lvl:lacicr:1232
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    File URL: http://www.cirpee.org/fileadmin/documents/Cahiers_2012/CIRPEE12-32.pdf
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    References listed on IDEAS

    as
    1. Thomas Buchmueller & John Dinardo, 2002. "Did Community Rating Induce an Adverse Selection Death Spiral? Evidence from New York, Pennsylvania, and Connecticut," American Economic Review, American Economic Association, vol. 92(1), pages 280-294, March.
    2. Hoy, Michael & Polborn, Mattias, 2000. "The value of genetic information in the life insurance market," Journal of Public Economics, Elsevier, vol. 78(3), pages 235-252, November.
    3. Crocker, Keith J & Snow, Arthur, 1986. "The Efficiency Effects of Categorical Discrimination in the Insurance Industry," Journal of Political Economy, University of Chicago Press, vol. 94(2), pages 321-344, April.
    4. Alma Cohen & Peter Siegelman, 2010. "Testing for Adverse Selection in Insurance Markets," Journal of Risk & Insurance, The American Risk and Insurance Association, vol. 77(1), pages 39-84, March.
    5. Michael Rothschild & Joseph Stiglitz, 1976. "Equilibrium in Competitive Insurance Markets: An Essay on the Economics of Imperfect Information," The Quarterly Journal of Economics, President and Fellows of Harvard College, vol. 90(4), pages 629-649.
    6. Scott E. Harrington, 2010. "U.S. Health‐care Reform: The Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act," Journal of Risk & Insurance, The American Risk and Insurance Association, vol. 77(3), pages 703-708, September.
    Full references (including those not matched with items on IDEAS)

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    Cited by:

    1. Aleksandr Kuklin & Maria Pecherkina & Alexander Tyrsin & Alfiya Surina, 2017. "Methodological Tools for the Detection of Risks to the Welfare of the Individuals and the Territory of Residence," Economy of region, Centre for Economic Security, Institute of Economics of Ural Branch of Russian Academy of Sciences, vol. 1(4), pages 1030-1043.

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    More about this item

    Keywords

    Adverse selection; Classification risk; Distributional equity; Empirical test of asymmetric information; Ex-ante efficiency; Financial equity; Genetic test; Group equity; Horizontal equity; Insurance rating; Interim efficiency; Moral hazard; Risk characteristic; Risk classification; Risk pooling; Risk separation; Social equity;
    All these keywords.

    JEL classification:

    • D82 - Microeconomics - - Information, Knowledge, and Uncertainty - - - Asymmetric and Private Information; Mechanism Design
    • I13 - Health, Education, and Welfare - - Health - - - Health Insurance, Public and Private
    • I14 - Health, Education, and Welfare - - Health - - - Health and Inequality
    • I18 - Health, Education, and Welfare - - Health - - - Government Policy; Regulation; Public Health
    • I38 - Health, Education, and Welfare - - Welfare, Well-Being, and Poverty - - - Government Programs; Provision and Effects of Welfare Programs
    • G22 - Financial Economics - - Financial Institutions and Services - - - Insurance; Insurance Companies; Actuarial Studies

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