Unexpected medical care spending imposes considerable financial risk on developing country households. Based on managed care models of health insurance in wealthy countries, Colombia's Régimen Subsidiado is a publicly financed insurance program targeted to the poor, aiming both to provide risk protection and to promote allocative efficiency in the use of medical care. Using a "fuzzy" regression discontinuity design, we find that the program has shielded the poor from some financial risk while increasing the use of traditionally underutilized preventive services—with measurable health gains.
Authors
Research Fellow University College London
Marcos is a Research Fellow at IFS, an Affiliate at the Rural Education Action Program and a Professor of Economics at the University College London.
Grant Miller
Diana Pinto
Journal article details
- DOI
- 10.1257/app.5.4.61
- Publisher
- The IFS
- JEL
- G22, I13, I18, I38, O15
- Issue
- Volume 5, No. 4, October 2013, pages 61-91
Suggested citation
G, Miller and D, Pinto and M, Vera-Hernandez. (2013). 'Risk Protection, Service Use, and Health Outcomes under Colombia's Health Insurance Program for the Poor' 5, No. 4(2013), pp.61–91.
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