Health Affairs, 26, no. 5 (2007): 1345-1357 doi: 10.1377/hlthaff.26.5.1345 © 2007 by Project HOPE	New Online   New Issue: China & India   Obesity In China   Pay Cuts For Medicare Docs   Access To Care Woes

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Health System

Insurance Expansions: Do They Hurt Those They Are Designed To Help?

Seeking to redress health disparities across income and race, many policy-makers mandate health insurance benefits, presuming that equalized benefits will help equalize use of beneficial health services. This paper tests that presumption by measuring health care use by a diverse population with comprehensive health insurance. Focusing on use of mental health care and pharmaceuticals, it finds that even when insurance benefits and access are constant, whites and those with high incomes consume more of these benefits than other people do. This suggests that privileged classes extract more health care services even when everyone pays equal premiums for equal insurance coverage.

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				M. K. Kyle and D. B. Ridley Would Greater Transparency And Uniformity Of Health Care Prices Benefit Poor Patients? Health Aff., September 1, 2007; 26(5): 1384 - 1391. [Abstract] [Full Text] [PDF]