Is Zero a Special Price? Evidence from Child Health Care
研究发现儿童保健中的零价格会显著增加需求，导致健康儿童过度使用服务并加剧抗生素滥用，而小额共付（每次2美元）可缓解这些问题，但零价格也可用于推广高成本效益的治疗。
Do consumers react differently to zero prices? We test the presence of a zero-price effect in child health care and find that a zero price is special as it boosts demand discontinuously. A zero price affects resource allocations by encouraging healthier children to use more services and exacerbates behavioral hazard by increasing inappropriate use of antibiotics. A co-payment, of as small as US$2 per visit, alleviates these problems without substantially increasing financial risk. However, a zero price may be used to boost demand for highly cost-effective treatments. Zero and non-zero prices should be strategically chosen to achieve specific goals.