Social Interaction and the Health Insurance Choices of the Elderly

Eldar Beiseitov, Jeffrey D. Kubik () and John R. Moran
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Jeffrey D. Kubik: Center for Policy Research, Maxwell School, Syracuse University, https://www.maxwell.syr.edu/directory/jeffrey-d-kubik

No 58, Center for Policy Research Working Papers from Center for Policy Research, Maxwell School, Syracuse University

Abstract: Using data from the 1998 wave of the Health and Retirement Study, we examine the effect of social interactions on the health insurance choices of the elderly. We find that having more social interactions, as measured by contacts with friends and neighbors, reduces the likelihood of enrolling in a Medicare managed care plan relative to purchasing a medigap policy or having coverage through Medicare alone. Our estimates indicate that social networks are an important determinant of the health insurance choices of the elderly and provide suggestive evidence that "word-of-mouth" information sharing may have played a role in the preference of some seniors for traditional indemnity insurance over managed care.

JEL-codes: I11 J14 (search for similar items in EconPapers)
Pages: 33 pages
Date: 2004-05
New Economics Papers: this item is included in nep-hea, nep-ias, nep-net and nep-ure
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Persistent link: https://EconPapers.repec.org/RePEc:max:cprwps:58

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