Heuristics and Heterogeneity in Health Insurance Exchanges: Evidence from the Massachusetts Connector
利用马萨诸塞州健康保险交易所数据，研究消费者在选择保险计划时是否使用“选最便宜计划”的启发式规则，发现该规则虽存在但偏好异质性同样重要，且最灵活模型显示启发式效应不显著。
We examine heuristic decision rules in consumer choice on health insurance exchanges using data from the Massachusetts Connector. Consumers may have difficulty making optimal choices in a complex environment. The heuristic “choose the cheapest plan” is suggested by the decision context, previous research, and the data: about 20% of enrollees choose the cheapest plan possible. We find evidence of this heuristic in many models, but while heuristics may play a role, preference heterogeneity is also important. Our most flexible models find an insignificant heuristic effect. In part because holding context fixed, this heuristic is observationally equivalent to extreme price sensitivity.