Working Paper: NBER ID: w15456
Authors: Grant Miller; Diana M. Pinto; Marcos Vera-Hernandez
Abstract: Unexpected medical care spending imposes considerable financial risk on developing country households. Based on managed care models of health insurance in wealthy countries, Colombia's Régimen Subsidiado is a publicly financed insurance program targeted to the poor, aiming both to provide risk protection and to promote allocative efficiency in the use of medical care. Using a "fuzzy" regression discontinuity design, we find that the program has shielded the poor from some financial risk while increasing the use of traditionally under-utilized preventive services - with measurable health gains.
Keywords: health insurance; Colombia; poverty; risk protection; preventive services
JEL Codes: I10; O10
Edges that are evidenced by causal inference methods are in orange, and the rest are in light blue.
| Cause | Effect |
|---|---|
| SR enrollment (I23) | variability of out-of-pocket spending for inpatient care (H51) |
| SR enrollment (I23) | mean inpatient spending (H51) |
| SR enrollment (I23) | use of preventive services (I18) |
| SR enrollment (I23) | growth monitoring and well-care visits (I15) |
| use of preventive services (I18) | health improvements (I14) |
| use of preventive services (I18) | incidence of cough, fever, or diarrhea among children (I19) |
| SR enrollment (I23) | reported physician visits due to health problems (I11) |
| SR enrollment (I23) | hospitalizations (I19) |