Template-type: ReDIF-Paper 1.0
Author-Name: Meliyanni Johar
Author-Workplace-Name: University of Technology Sydney
X-Author-Email: 
Author-Name: Glenn Jones
Author-Workplace-Name: University of Technology Sydney
Author-Email: Glenn.Jones@uts.edu.au
Author-Name: Michael P. Keane
Author-Workplace-Name: Nuffield College and Department of Economics, University of Oxford
Author-Email: michael.keane@nuffield.ox.ac.uk
Author-Name: Elizabeth Savage
Author-Workplace-Name: University of Technology Sydney
X-Author-Email: 
Author-Name: Olena Stavrunova
Author-Workplace-Name: University of Technology Sydney
X-Author-Email: 
Title: The Demand for Private Health Insurance: Do Waiting Lists Matter?” – Revisited
Abstract: Besley, Hall and Preston (JPubEc, 1999) investigate how waiting for medical treatment in 
public hospitals influences the decision to buy private health insurance, which covers faster private 
treatment. They find sizable positive impacts which have subsequently been influential on waiting lists 
management policies. This paper re-examines this result, in particular the sensitivity to the use of 
waiting lists as a proxy for waiting times. It is found that waiting lists do not predict private 
health insurance demand, and that the impact of waiting time in motivating the purchase of insurance 
has been overstated.
Classification-JEL: 11, I13
Keywords: health insurance, waiting time, waiting lists
Length: 12 pages
Creation-Date: 2013-06-13
Number: 2013-W09
File-URL: http://www.nuffield.ox.ac.uk/economics/papers/2013/Besley_2013.pdf
File-Format: application/pdf
Handle: RePEc:nuf:econwp:1309