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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," Social and Economic Dimensions of an Aging Population Research Papers 19, McMaster University.
    • Handle: RePEc:mcm:sedapp:19
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    References listed on IDEAS

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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. 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.
    3. 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.
    4. 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.
    5. 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.
    6. 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.
    7. 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.
    8. 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.
    9. 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.
    10. 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).
    11. 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.
    12. 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.

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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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