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- Title
Affordable False Teeth: The Effects of Patient Cost Sharing on Denture Utilization and Subjective Chewing Ability.
- Authors
Ando, Michihito; Takaku, Reo
- Abstract
We evaluate the impact of patient cost sharing on the use of dentures and subjective chewing ability exploiting a sharp reduction in the coinsurance rate, the percentage of costs born by the user, from 30 % to 10 % at the age of 70 with a regression discontinuity design. Using data from the Japanese Study of Aging and Retirement (JSTAR), we find that the utilization rate of dentures increases from approximately 50 % to 63 % around the threshold, implying that the extensive margin elasticity of denture usage with respect to the coinsurance rate is about -0.41. In addition, we find this jump is almost entirely due to the change in the rate among women. On the other hand, we do not find a significant improvement in self-reported chewing ability, although chewing ability may not be the only social benefit from dentures. Our empirical findings are also confirmed by complementary analysis with randomization tests.
- Subjects
COST shifting; DENTURES; COINSURANCE; DATA analysis; RANDOMIZED controlled trials
- Publication
B.E. Journal of Economic Analysis & Policy, 2016, Vol 16, Issue 3, p1387
- ISSN
2194-6108
- Publication type
Article
- DOI
10.1515/bejeap-2015-0194