Willingness to pay for public health policies to treat illnesses

Ryan Bosworth, Trudy Cameron () and J.R. DeShazo

Journal of Health Economics, 2015, vol. 39, issue C, 74-88

Abstract: As the US pursues health care reform, it is important to understand the patterns in demand for, and opposition to, public provision of medical treatments. Using data from a nationally representative survey, we develop and estimate a utility-theoretic choice model to quantify demand for publicly provided medical treatment policies. We find diminishing marginal utility for increased recoveries and avoided premature deaths. We also show how the utility associated with different types of treatment policies varies with the socio-demographic group that would benefit (e.g. men, women, children, and seniors) and the program's duration and scope. Our model further permits utility, and hence willingness to pay, to vary with each respondent's own gender, age, race, income, community ethnic fractionalization and immigrant composition, as well as the respondent's expected private benefits from the policy and attitude toward government interventions and overall health care funding allocations. Self-interest is a prevailing finding.

Keywords: Public health treatment policies; Stated preference conjoint survey; Willingness to pay; Morbidity and mortality reduction; Discounting (search for similar items in EconPapers)
JEL-codes: I12 J17 J28 Q51 (search for similar items in EconPapers)
Date: 2015
References: View references in EconPapers View complete reference list from CitEc
Citations: View citations in EconPapers (14)

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Related works:
Working Paper: Willingness to Pay for Public Health Policies to Treat Illnesses (2010)
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Persistent link: https://EconPapers.repec.org/RePEc:eee:jhecon:v:39:y:2015:i:c:p:74-88

DOI: 10.1016/j.jhealeco.2014.10.004

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