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The Role of Consumer Knowledge of Insurance Benefits in the Demand for Preventative Health

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  • Stephen T. Parente
  • David Salkever
  • Joan DaVanzo

Abstract

In 1992, the United States Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS) introduced new insurance coverage for two preventive services influenza vaccinations and mammograms. Economists typically assume transactions occur with perfect information and foresight. As a test of the value of information, we estimate the effect of consumer knowledge of these benefits on their demand. Treating knowledge as endogenous in a two-part model of demand, we find that consumer knowledge has a substantial positive effect on the use of preventive services. Our findings suggest that strategies to educate the insured Medicare population about coverage of preventive services may have substantial social value.

Suggested Citation

  • Stephen T. Parente & David Salkever & Joan DaVanzo, 2003. "The Role of Consumer Knowledge of Insurance Benefits in the Demand for Preventative Health," NBER Working Papers 9912, National Bureau of Economic Research, Inc.
    • Handle: RePEc:nbr:nberwo:9912
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    1. James J. Heckman & Thomas E. MaCurdy, 1985. "A Simultaneous Equations Linear Probability Model," Canadian Journal of Economics, Canadian Economics Association, vol. 18(1), pages 28-37, February.
    2. John Mullahy, 1999. "It'll only hurt a second? Microeconomic determinants of who gets flu shots," Health Economics, John Wiley & Sons, Ltd., vol. 8(1), pages 9-24, February.
    3. Kenkel, Don, 1990. "Consumer Health Information and the Demand for Medical Care," The Review of Economics and Statistics, MIT Press, vol. 72(4), pages 587-595, November.
    4. Chee-Ruey Hsieh & Shin-Jong Lin, 1997. "Health Information and the Demand for Preventive Care among the Elderly in Taiwan," Journal of Human Resources, University of Wisconsin Press, vol. 32(2), pages 303-333.
    5. Mark V. Pauly & Mark A. Satterthwaite, 1981. "The Pricing of Primary Care Physicians' Services: A Test of the Role of Consumer Information," Bell Journal of Economics, The RAND Corporation, vol. 12(2), pages 488-506, Autumn.
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    Cited by:

    1. M. Kate Bundorf & Laurence Baker & Sara Singer & Todd Wagner, 2004. "Consumer Demand for Health Information on the Internet," NBER Working Papers 10386, National Bureau of Economic Research, Inc.
    2. Richard B. Smith, 2005. "An Alternative Perspective On Information Asymmetry; Implications For Consumer Authority In Physician Services Markets," Journal of Economics & Management Strategy, Wiley Blackwell, vol. 14(3), pages 665-699, September.
    3. Maurer, Jürgen, 2009. "Who has a clue to preventing the flu? Unravelling supply and demand effects on the take-up of influenza vaccinations," Journal of Health Economics, Elsevier, vol. 28(3), pages 704-717, May.
    4. Julia Witt, 2008. "The effect of information in the utilization of preventive health‐care strategies: An application to breast cancer," Health Economics, John Wiley & Sons, Ltd., vol. 17(6), pages 721-731, June.

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    JEL classification:

    • I1 - Health, Education, and Welfare - - Health

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