Competitive long-term health insurance

Abstract

I study the interplay among competition, contractual commitment, income risk, and saving and borrowing in insuring consumers against both short-term healthcare expenses and longer-term changes in health status. Examining different combinations of firms' ability to commit to long-term contracts, consumers' access to credit markets, and the availability of termination fees helps to highlight sources of inefficiency.

Keywords: Insurance; One-sided commitment; Reclassification risk.