Speaker: 庄晨 (Chen Zhuang)

Title: Health Insurance Design with Heterogeneous Preferences

Schedule: June 2, Fri 1:00-2:00 PM

Location: 诚明楼 (Chengming Hall）RM 315

 

Introduction: 庄晨，北京大学经济学院资源、环境与产业经济学系助理教授。2022年3月于美国华盛顿大学获得经济学博士学位，研究方向为发展经济学、应用微观计量、实证产业组织，侧重于政策的评估和设计。近年来在《经济学（季刊）》，Science of the Total Environment，Obesity，China Economic Review，Economics Letters，Journal of Comparative Economics 等国内外期刊发表论文十余篇。讲授经济学原理、政策分析的现代工具等课程。

 

Abstract: We investigate the welfare implications of different designs of a health insurance program by structurally estimating patient demand based on claims level data. We find that patients exhibit diverse preferences that affect their hospital and spending choices. A higher-deductible plan can improve social welfare, when patients with minor diseases value risk protection less; a higher reimbursement maximum leads to a small increase in insurer costs, even with salient moral hazard. We further discuss several alternative designs of a health insurance contract in a tiered inpatient care delivery system in rural China that may promote welfare gains.