Hospital Queues, Patient Health, and Labor Supply

Anna Godøy, Venke F. Haaland, Ingrid Huitfeldt and Mark Votruba

American Economic Journal: Economic Policy, 2024, vol. 16, issue 2, 150-81

Abstract: Long waits for health care raise concerns about the consequences of delayed treatment. We use variation in queue congestion to estimate effects of wait time for orthopedic surgery. We do not find that longer wait times lead to increased health care utilization. However, we do find persistent reductions in labor supply: long waits increase medium to long-term work absences and permanent disability receipt. Effects are driven by individuals who are on sick leave at referral. Our results are consistent with patterns of state dependence, where extended periods of temporary disability while awaiting treatment create persistent barriers to returning to work.

JEL-codes: I11 I12 I18 J22 (search for similar items in EconPapers)
Date: 2024
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DOI: 10.1257/pol.20210399

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