Co-payment exemption and healthcare consumption: quasi-experimental evidence from Italy

Vanessa Cirulli, Giuliano Resce () and Marco Ventura
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Vanessa Cirulli: Sapienza University of Rome

Empirical Economics, 2024, vol. 67, issue 1, No 15, 355-380

Abstract: Abstract This paper investigates the causal effect of co-payment exemption on the number of specialist visits in the Italian National Health System. Exploiting a discontinuity in the multiple eligibility criteria, we apply multiple regression discontinuity in a quasi-experimental setting, considering both age and income requirements. Differently from the standard regression discontinuity, this twofold discontinuity allows to identify the effect of co-payment on a particularly needy sub-population of less wealthy people and how it changes according to the eligibility criteria. We find positive effects of co-payment exemption and the effects are stronger for less wealthy and older individuals. The result may be useful to the policy maker to tailor ad-hoc policies aimed at disadvantaged sub-populations.

Keywords: Multiple regression discontinuity (MRD); Healthcare; Co-payment; Demand effects; National Health System (search for similar items in EconPapers)
JEL-codes: C31 I11 I14 I18 (search for similar items in EconPapers)
Date: 2024
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Working Paper: Co-payment exemption and healthcare consumption. Quasi-experimental evidence from Italy (2021)
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DOI: 10.1007/s00181-023-02552-1

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