Alternative health insurance schemes: a welfare comparison

J Health Econ. 2002 Sep;21(5):739-56. doi: 10.1016/s0167-6296(02)00062-0.

Abstract

In this paper, we present a simple model of health insurance with asymmetric information, where we compare two alternative ways of organizing the insurance market. Either as a competitive insurance market, where some risks remain uninsured, or as a compulsory scheme, where however, the level of reimbursement of loss is to be determined by majority decision. In a simple welfare comparison, the compulsory scheme may in certain environments yield a solution which is inferior to that obtained in the market. We further consider the situation where the compulsory scheme may be supplemented by voluntary competitive insurance; this situation turns out to be at least as good as either of the alternatives.

Publication types

  • Comparative Study

MeSH terms

  • Actuarial Analysis
  • Economic Competition
  • Humans
  • Insurance Benefits
  • Insurance Pools / statistics & numerical data
  • Insurance Selection Bias*
  • Insurance, Health / economics*
  • Insurance, Health / statistics & numerical data
  • Insurance, Health, Reimbursement / statistics & numerical data
  • Models, Econometric
  • National Health Programs / economics*
  • Politics
  • Risk Adjustment
  • Social Welfare / economics*