Comments on: How does having health insurance affect the probability children recieve needed care

By: Jason Shafrin

Jason Shafrin — Tue, 09 Sep 2008 05:15:30 +0000

Let us assume there are two people, Sick Sam and Health Harry. Sick Sam has an 80% chance of falling sick in the next year and Healthy Harry has a 20% chance of falling ill. If Sam and Harry have the same income and face the same price for health insurance, than it is much more likely that Sam will purchase health insurance. Thus, the individuals who buy health insurance will generally have a higher demand for medical care.

You do make a good point, however, of the dynamic effects. People without health insurance may forego preventive care to save money and thus may need more care in the long run. On the other hand, if you did not have health insurance, you may be more willing to buy preventive care since you know that if you become sick, you–and not your insurance company–will have to foot the bill.

By: Eddie

Eddie — Mon, 08 Sep 2008 21:13:39 +0000

Interesting post, but I have a question. You state that “[those with private insurance] likely have higher demand for medical care than the average person.” What is the basis for this assumption? I would assume that those without private insurance (either the uninsured or those on Medicaid) would have greater demand for medical care because they may avoid preventive care or even avoid obtaining needed care.

By: Health Care Tips » Blog Archive » Kaiser Daily Health Policy Report Feature Highlights Recent Blog Entries

Mon, 08 Sep 2008 18:20:35 +0000

[...] consumers about what they should care about with respect to management of their health.” The Healthcare Economist’s Jason Shafrin writes that although providing health insurance to uninsured children would [...]