Out‐of‐pocket payment for medical care under Taiwan's National Health Insurance system
- 14 November 2007
- journal article
- research article
- Published by Wiley in Health Economics
- Vol. 17 (8), 961-975
- https://doi.org/10.1002/hec.1312
Abstract
The objective of this study is to estimate the amount of and factors associated with out-of-pocket (OOP) payment for medical care under Taiwan's National Health Insurance (NHI) program. This research used two methods to collect original data. The first method consisted of using a sample household survey and household diary records to collect data on OOP payment prospectively over a two-month period from a random sample of 600 households in central Taiwan. Using the individual as the unit of analysis, we obtained a total of 1062 sample subjects. To ascertain the quality and accuracy of survey data, the claim records of the bureau of NHI were merged with the survey data. These data were analyzed by a two-part model, with a probit model for use of health care and an ordinary least-squares model for OOP payments. Results of this research indicate that on average an individual's annual OOP payment for medical care was € 247, which is substantial, compared with the average € 144 for per capita NHI earmarked tax. Finally, results of model estimation indicate that supplemental health insurance and household income were positively associated with any use of health care, while household income was also positively associated with OOP payment for health care. Copyright © 2007 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.This publication has 13 references indexed in Scilit:
- The Effect of Public Policies and Prices on Youth SmokingSouthern Economic Journal, 2004
- The Demand for Medical Care in Urban ChinaWorld Development, 2004
- Equity in the finance of health care: some further international comparisonsJournal of Health Economics, 1999
- On the choice between sample selection and two-part modelsJournal of Econometrics, 1996
- An Econometric Model of the Two-Part Decisionmaking Process in the Demand for Health CareThe Journal of Human Resources, 1995
- The MOS 36-ltem Short-Form Health Survey (SF-36)Medical Care, 1992
- Methods For Measuring Patient Satisfaction With Specific Medical EncountersMedical Care, 1988
- Monte Carlo evidence on the choice between sample selection and two-part modelsJournal of Econometrics, 1987
- A Comparison of Alternative Models for the Demand for Medical CareJournal of Business & Economic Statistics, 1983
- On the Concept of Health Capital and the Demand for HealthJournal of Political Economy, 1972