Copayments for Prescription Drugs: The Drivers of Demand Responses
利用芬兰详细的处方药购买数据，研究药品共付门槛处的需求响应，发现平均药品成本在门槛处不连续增加17%，价格弹性为-0.17，约80%的效果来自购买数量增加而非高价药，对按需用药类别反应最大。
We study the demand responses of the drug copayment threshold in Finland using detailed prescription drug purchase data. The analysis reveals that the average drug costs increase discontinuously by 17% at the threshold above which out-of-pocket drug costs decrease substantially. Our results suggest an average price elasticity of -0.17, which indicates evident moral hazard costs. Approximately 80% of the overall effect is due to individuals buying drugs in larger quantities rather than purchasing higher-priced drugs. The heterogeneity analysis suggests that the responses are largest for drug categories taken on an as-needed rather than a regular basis.