Publication type
Journal Article
Authors
Publication date
July 15, 2016
Summary:
We examine the demand for private health insurance (PHI) in the United Kingdom and relate this to changes in the supply of public and private healthcare. Using a novel collection of administrative, private sector and survey data, we re-assess the relationships between the quality and availability of public and private sector inpatient care, and the demand for PHI. We find that PHI coverage in the United Kingdom is positively related to the median of the region- and year-specific public sector waiting times. We find that PHI prevalence ceteris paribus increases with being self-employed and employed, while it decreases with having financial difficulties. In addition, we highlight the complexities of inter-sectoral relations and their impact on PHI demand. Within a region, we find that an increase in private healthcare supply is associated with a decrease in public sector waiting times, implying lower PHI demand. This may be explained by the usage of private facilities by NHS commissioners. These results have important implications for policymakers interested in the role of private healthcare supply in enhancing the availability of and equitable access to acute inpatient care.
Published in
Health Policy
Volume and page numbers
Volume: 120 , p.840 -847
DOI
http://dx.doi.org/10.1016/j.healthpol.2016.05.002
ISSN
1688510
Subjects
Notes
Not held in Hilary Doughty Research Library - bibliographic reference only
#524218