Bismarck’s Health Insurance and the Mortality Decline

Disease and Development: The Effect of Life Expectancy on Economic Growth

Stefan Bauernschuster, Anastasia Driva and Erik Hornung

Journal of the European Economic Association, 2020, vol. 18, issue 5, 2561-2607

Abstract: We study the impact of social health insurance on mortality. Using the introduction of compulsory health insurance in the German Empire in 1884 as a natural experiment, we estimate difference-in-differences and regional fixed effects models exploiting variation in eligibility for insurance across occupations. Our findings suggest that Bismarck’s health insurance generated a significant mortality reduction. Despite the absence of antibiotics and most vaccines, we find the results to be largely driven by a decline of deaths from infectious diseases. Further evidence suggests that statutory access to well-trained doctors was an elementary channel. This finding may be explained by insurance fund physicians transmitting new knowledge on infectious disease prevention.

Date: 2020
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Related works:
Working Paper: Bismarck's Health Insurance and the Mortality Decline (2018)
Working Paper: Bismarck's Health Insurance and the Mortality Decline (2017)
Working Paper: Bismarck's Health Insurance and the Mortality Decline (2017)
Working Paper: Bismarck's Health Insurance and the Mortality Decline (2017)
Working Paper: Bismarck’s Health Insurance and the Mortality Decline (2016)
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Persistent link: https://EconPapers.repec.org/RePEc:oup:jeurec:v:18:y:2020:i:5:p:2561-2607.

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