CHERE Seminar: The Impact of a Billing System on Healthcare Utilization: the Case of the Thai Civil Servant Medical Benefit Scheme
Presented by Dr. Nada Wasi is a principal economist at the Puey Ungphakorn Institute for Social Research at the Bank of Thailand.
Who: Nada Wasi - Puey Ungphakorn Institute for Social Research at the Bank of Thailand
When: Tuesday 9th April, 12pm
Where: University of Technology Sydney CB05D.02.20
This seminar is free, just register by 7th April 2019. Please register at: https://www.eventbrite.com/e/the-impact-of-a-billing-system-on-healthcare-utilization-tickets-59738139383?aff=ebdssbdestsearch
Abstract
This paper examines how outpatient care utilization is affected by a new billing process of the Thai Civil Servant Medical Benefit Scheme. Unlike existing studies, there is no change in cost-sharing for the scheme considered here. In the past, the beneficiaries must pay out-of-pocket and get their money reimbursed later. The new billing system allows hospitals to charge the government directly. Using patient-level data from a large hospital, we find the change affects utilization through both visiting rates and treatment intensity. These impacts are found to be persistent. Our analysis also suggests that the likely cash-constrained patients increase their utilization more proportionally.
Biography
Dr. Nada Wasi is a principal economist at the Puey Ungphakorn Institute for Social Research at the Bank of Thailand. Her research interests involve combining economic theory and statistical tools to understand how individuals make decisions