Empowered patient or empowered physician. An analysis of the importance of the gatekeeper in the health delivery system. This paper examines the important role of the gatekeeper in the health delivery system. A simple theoretical model is developed which compares the resource allocation when physicians act as gatekeepers with the decisions taken when patients are empowered. It is shown that even when there is no asymmetry of information---and so patients and doctors are equally able to identify the appropriate therapy---that the institutional arrangement matters. Patients demand more time with physicians when they are empowered whereas physicians want to spend more time developing their expertise when they are empowered. The reaction of physicians and patients to changes in policy instruments also differs across institutional arrangements. The analysis also draws attention to the design of the compensation scheme for physicians, and investigates the benefits of using a non-linear scheme.
Wealth, health, and the pursuit of happiness. This paper provides a theoretical framework to illustrate the relationship between income, utility maximization, and healthy choices. The analysis indicates that the choices of individuals who maximize utility are not the same as those arising were the individual to maximize wellness. In fact, rational individuals will over-eat and under-exercise relative to health maximizing levels. Yet as individuals get wealthier, they have better health. The paper also compares different strategies for health promotion. Income redistribution may lead to a net increase in population health and in social welfare. By contrast, policies that specifically target lifestyle choices may succeed in persuading citizens to choose a health-maximizing lifestyle, but result in a net welfare loss to society.
An empirical investigation of household income and income polices on obesity in Canada. Using the master files of the Canadian Community Health Survey (CCHS), this paper examines the effect of income on obesity and individuals' body-mass index. An instrumental variable technique is employed to derive consistent estimates of this effect and to take account of the possible endogeneity between income and body weight. It is found that higher income will lead to lower body weight for women, while its effect on the body-weight outcome of men is unclear. This chapter uses the estimates of the relationship between income and body weight to simulate the impact of government income policies---like social assistance and child support---on obesity. It is shown that incomes policies may not only decrease income inequality but may also contribute to a lower incidence of obesity amongst the poorer population thus decreasing overall health care costs.
| Identifer | oai:union.ndltd.org:uottawa.ca/oai:ruor.uottawa.ca:10393/29270 |
| Date | January 2005 |
| Creators | Wang, Xiaochuan (Sherry) |
| Publisher | University of Ottawa (Canada) |
| Source Sets | Université d’Ottawa |
| Language | English |
| Detected Language | English |
| Type | Thesis |
| Format | 157 p. |
Page generated in 0.0023 seconds