The effects of cost sharing and physician specialty on the costs of office-based medical care

Geoffrey M. Anderson

Expert InsightsPublished 1988

Using data derived primarily from the Health Insurance Experiment, this paper analyzes the relationship between medical costs and user co-payment liability. The analysis shows that the increase of insurance deductibles reduces medical costs by discouraging use of services. Further reductions in costs result from directing users to non-certified, non-specialist care providers. Higher costs associated with specialists may be attributable to business styles more than to medically justified factors, and the author suggests that sanctioning high-cost specialists might prove an effective mechanism for reducing costs.

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Document Details

  • Copyright: RAND Corporation
  • Availability: Web Only
  • Year: 1988
  • Pages: 151
  • Document Number: P-7547-RGS

Citation

Chicago Manual of Style

Anderson, Geoffrey M., The effects of cost sharing and physician specialty on the costs of office-based medical care. Santa Monica, CA: RAND Corporation, 1988. https://www.rand.org/pubs/papers/P7547.html.
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