What Do Medical Services Buy? Effects of Doctor Visits on Work Day Loss

Thomas Stratman ()
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Thomas Stratman: Department of Agricultural Economics and Economics, Montana State University
Authors registered in the RePEc Author Service: Thomas Stratmann

Eastern Economic Journal, 1999, vol. 25, issue 1, 1-16

Abstract: This study analyzes whether medical services are productive for the improvement of health. The assessment of the effect of medical services on improved health is empirically difficult: individuals with failing health obtain medical services. The proposed empirical model accounts for the potential endogeneity of medical services. While a simple regression model shows that doctor visits actually increase work loss days, the estimates from the simultaneous model show that obtaining medical services reduces work loss days. For example, if an individual has influenza, obtaining medical services reduces the number of days lost at work by approximately 2.5 days.

Keywords: Doctors; Health (search for similar items in EconPapers)
JEL-codes: I11 I12 (search for similar items in EconPapers)
Date: 1999
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Citations: View citations in EconPapers (13)

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Persistent link: https://EconPapers.repec.org/RePEc:eej:eeconj:v:25:y:1999:i:1:p:1-16

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