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The Effects of Drug Subsidies on Out-of Pocket Prescription Drug Expenditures by Seniors: Regional Evidence from Canada

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  • Thomas F. Crossley
  • Paul Grootendorst
  • Sule Korkmaz
  • Michael R. Veall

Abstract

Between 1970 and 1986 all Canadian provinces introduced some version of a prescription drug subsidy for those age 65 or over and since 1986, all the provinces have increased copayments or deductibles to some degree. Employing a first-order approximation to the welfare gains from a subsidy, we find evidence that these subsidies have been less redistributive than an absolute per household cash transfer but slightly more redistributive than a transfer that would increase each household's income by the same percentage. Such evidence may have relevance for predicting the redistributive effects of a potential national prescription drug plan for seniors in the United States.

Suggested Citation

  • Thomas F. Crossley & Paul Grootendorst & Sule Korkmaz & Michael R. Veall, 2000. "The Effects of Drug Subsidies on Out-of Pocket Prescription Drug Expenditures by Seniors: Regional Evidence from Canada," Quantitative Studies in Economics and Population Research Reports 350, McMaster University.
    • Handle: RePEc:mcm:qseprr:350
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    References listed on IDEAS

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    1. P Grootendorst, 1999. "Beneficiary Cost Sharing Under Canadian Provincial Prescription Drug Benefit Programs: History and Assessment," Centre for Health Economics and Policy Analysis Working Paper Series 1999-10, Centre for Health Economics and Policy Analysis (CHEPA), McMaster University, Hamilton, Canada.
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    9. Paul Grootendorst & Mitchell Levine, 2002. "Do Drug Plans Matter? Effects of Drug Plan Eligibility on Drug Use Among the Elderly, Social Assistance Recipients and the General Population," Quantitative Studies in Economics and Population Research Reports 372, McMaster University.
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    Cited by:

    1. Crown William H. & Berndt Ernst R. & Baser Onur & Finkelstein Stan N. & Witt Whitney P. & Maguire Jonathan & Haver Kenan E., 2004. "Benefit Plan Design and Prescription Drug Utilization Among Asthmatics: Do Patient Copayments Matter?," Forum for Health Economics & Policy, De Gruyter, vol. 7(1), pages 1-35, January.
    2. SØren Leth‐Petersen & Niels Skipper, 2014. "Income And The Use Of Prescription Drugs For Near Retirement Individuals," Health Economics, John Wiley & Sons, Ltd., vol. 23(3), pages 314-331, March.
    3. Burcay Erus & Nazli Aktakke, 2012. "Impact of healthcare reforms on out-of-pocket health expenditures in Turkey for public insurees," The European Journal of Health Economics, Springer;Deutsche Gesellschaft für Gesundheitsökonomie (DGGÖ), vol. 13(3), pages 337-346, June.
    4. Paul Grootendorst, 2012. "Prescription Drug Insurance and Reimbursement," Chapters, in: Andrew M. Jones (ed.), The Elgar Companion to Health Economics, Second Edition, chapter 11, Edward Elgar Publishing.
    5. Sam Caldbick & Xiaojing Wu & Tom Lynch & Naser Al-Khatib & Mustafa Andkhoie & Marwa Farag, 2015. "The financial burden of out of pocket prescription drug expenses in Canada," International Journal of Health Economics and Management, Springer, vol. 15(3), pages 329-338, September.
    6. Herberholz, Chantal & Phuntsho, Sonam, 2021. "Medical, transportation and spiritual out-of-pocket health expenditure on outpatient and inpatient visits in Bhutan," Social Science & Medicine, Elsevier, vol. 273(C).
    7. Magnezi, Racheli & Weiss, Yossi & Cohen, Yossi & Shmueli, Amir, 2007. "Development of a capitation scale for IDF career soldiers in Israel," Health Policy, Elsevier, vol. 80(3), pages 459-464, March.
    8. Hai Zhong, 2007. "Equity in Pharmaceutical Utilization in Ontario: A Cross-Section and Over Time Analysis," Canadian Public Policy, University of Toronto Press, vol. 33(4), pages 487-508, December.
    9. Hirschberg, J.G. & Lye, J.N. & Slottje, D.J., 2008. "Inferential methods for elasticity estimates," Journal of Econometrics, Elsevier, vol. 147(2), pages 299-315, December.
    10. J. G. Hirschberg, J. N. Lye & D. J. Slottje, 2008. "Confidence Intervals for Estimates of Elasticities," Department of Economics - Working Papers Series 1053, The University of Melbourne.
    11. Paul V. Grootendorst & Michael R. Veall, 2005. "National Catastrophic Drug Insurance Revisited: Who Would Benefit from Senator Kirby's Recommendations?," Canadian Public Policy, University of Toronto Press, vol. 31(4), pages 341-358, December.
    12. Vincenzo Atella & Franco Peracchi & Domenico Depalo & Claudio Rossetti, 2006. "Drug compliance, co‐payment and health outcomes: evidence from a panel of Italian patients," Health Economics, John Wiley & Sons, Ltd., vol. 15(9), pages 875-892, September.

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    More about this item

    Keywords

    Prescription drug subsidies; Incidence; Redistribution; Progressivity;
    All these keywords.

    JEL classification:

    • I18 - Health, Education, and Welfare - - Health - - - Government Policy; Regulation; Public Health
    • H23 - Public Economics - - Taxation, Subsidies, and Revenue - - - Externalities; Redistributive Effects; Environmental Taxes and Subsidies

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