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Health insurance and treatment seeking behaviour: evidence from a low‐income country
Author(s) -
Jowett Matthew,
Deolalikar Anil,
Martinsson Peter
Publication year - 2004
Publication title -
health economics
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 1.55
H-Index - 109
eISSN - 1099-1050
pISSN - 1057-9230
DOI - 10.1002/hec.862
Subject(s) - vietnamese , multinomial logistic regression , health insurance , actuarial science , selection bias , health care , demographic economics , survey data collection , estimation , business , public economics , economics , medicine , economic growth , statistics , philosophy , linguistics , mathematics , pathology , management
Abstract This paper analyses the effect of being insured under the voluntary component of Vietnamese Health Insurance, on patterns of treatment seeking behaviour. A multinomial logit model is estimated using household survey data from three provinces in Vietnam. Decisions regarding both the type of provider sought and type of care received are analysed. Insurance status is treated as both exogenous and endogenous to account for potential selection bias. The results indicate that, overall, insured patients are more likely to use outpatient facilities, and public providers, an effect that is particularly strong at lower income levels. Copyright © 2004 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.