The Effect of Patient Cost Sharing on Utilization, Health, and Risk Protection
利用日本70岁患者费用分担大幅降低的政策，采用断点回归设计，发现老年人门诊和住院服务对价格敏感，降低费用分担减少了自付支出，但对死亡率等健康结果影响不大。
This paper exploits a sharp reduction in patient cost sharing at age 70 in Japan, using a regression discontinuity design to examine its effect on utilization, health, and financial risk arising from out-of-pocket expenditures. Due to the national policy, cost sharing is 60–80 percent lower at age 70 than at age 69. I find that both outpatient and inpatient care are price sensitive among the elderly. While I find little impact on mortality and other health outcomes, the results show that reduced cost sharing is associated with lower out-of-pocket expenditures, especially at the right tail of the distribution.