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Insurance, Consumer Choice, and the Equilibrium Price and Quality of Hospital Care

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  • Katz Michael L

    (University of California, Berkeley)

Abstract
I analyze price and quality competition in a model that captures important institutional features of U.S. hospital markets. I first consider duopoly hospitals serving a population of patients who are covered by insurance that their employers purchase from duopoly health plans. I show that second-best quality levels can be sustained as equilibrium outcomes under both indemnity insurance and managed care even when patients are fully insured. I also demonstrate that a monopoly hospital system can yield efficient quality levels and that prices may be lower under monopoly than duopoly even when there are no technical efficiencies associated with monopoly. The latter result arises when employers and health insurance plans view the hospitals as complements even though any given consumer views them as substitutes.

Suggested Citation

  • Katz Michael L, 2011. "Insurance, Consumer Choice, and the Equilibrium Price and Quality of Hospital Care," The B.E. Journal of Economic Analysis & Policy, De Gruyter, vol. 11(2), pages 1-44, January.
    • Handle: RePEc:bpj:bejeap:v:11:y:2011:i:2:n:5
    DOI: 10.2202/1935-1682.2661
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    References listed on IDEAS

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    Cited by:

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    2. Nakagawa, Akihiko & Matsushima, Noriaki, 2023. "A note on conglomerate mergers: The Google/Fitbit case," Japan and the World Economy, Elsevier, vol. 67(C).
    3. Sorek Gilad, 2016. "Competition and Product Choice in Option Demand Markets," The B.E. Journal of Economic Analysis & Policy, De Gruyter, vol. 16(2), pages 785-805, April.
    4. Patrick Rey & Jean Tirole, 2019. "Price Caps as Welfare-Enhancing Coopetition," Journal of Political Economy, University of Chicago Press, vol. 127(6), pages 3018-3069.
    5. David J. Balan & Keith Brand, 2023. "Simulating Hospital Merger Simulations," Journal of Industrial Economics, Wiley Blackwell, vol. 71(1), pages 47-123, March.
    6. Gilad Sorek, 2015. "Location and Product Choice in Option Demand Markets," Auburn Economics Working Paper Series auwp2015-07, Department of Economics, Auburn University.
    7. Zhijun Chen & pch346 & Chongwoo Choe & Jiajia Cong & Noriaki Matsushima, 2020. "Data-Driven Mergers and Personalization," Monash Economics Working Papers 16-20, Monash University, Department of Economics.
    8. Rey, Patrick & Tirole, Jean, 2013. "Cooperation vs. Collusion: How Essentiality Shapes Co-opetition," IDEI Working Papers 801, Institut d'Économie Industrielle (IDEI), Toulouse.
    9. Gilad Sorek, 2015. "Health Insurance and Competition in Health Care Markets," Auburn Economics Working Paper Series auwp2015-03, Department of Economics, Auburn University.
    10. Sorek, Gilad, 2016. "Competition and consumer choice in option demand markets," Economics Letters, Elsevier, vol. 146(C), pages 13-16.
    11. Katz, Michael L., 2013. "Provider competition and healthcare quality: More bang for the buck?," International Journal of Industrial Organization, Elsevier, vol. 31(5), pages 612-625.

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