Cost containment measures instituted in the early 1980s are responsible for moving the health care industry to a more competitive composition. As a result of placing hospitals in a more cost conscious environment, they will no longer be able to finance uncompensated care through cross-subsidization. In three separate empirical studies, this dissertation investigates issues concerning the consequences procompetitive actions may have on the provision of hospital care to the poor. / In the first study, Certificate of Need (CON) regulation is likened to regulation allocated on a public interest standard. To test this analogy, probit analysis is used to isolate the objectives of CON regulators as reflected in their decisions regarding hospital investment applications. The results reveal some tendency for regulators to favor hospitals providing relatively large amounts of uncompensated care. This suggests that the benefits of CON protection are used to reward hospitals for providing uncompensated care. / The second study examines efficiency among hospitals providing different levels of uncompensated care. If the few hospitals providing the majority of uncompensated care are relatively inefficient, a more competitive market may force them to change their mode of operation, be bought out, or even close down. Estimates of a multiproduct cost function indicate that hospitals providing relatively large amounts of uncompensated care are less efficient on average. Thus, competition in the health care industry will not only affect the financing of indigent care, but also the providers. / The third study offers a more accurate depiction of those who generate uncompensated care and the hospitals that provide it. Previous studies have relied on characteristics of the uninsured population to make inferences about those who generate uncompensated care. A unique survey from Florida includes patient characteristics along with the amount of uncompensated care generated. Estimates from a type-two tobit model indicate that many of the conclusions derived from studies of the uninsured also hold true for the indigent. Of particular interest is the result that many of the indigent are employed but uninsured. Thus, policies aimed at the employed uninsured are likely to be effective at alleviating the problem of uncompensated care. / Source: Dissertation Abstracts International, Volume: 50-03, Section: A, page: 0742. / Major Professor: Gary Michael Fournier. / Thesis (Ph.D.)--The Florida State University, 1989.
| Identifer | oai:union.ndltd.org:fsu.edu/oai:fsu.digital.flvc.org:fsu_77961 |
| Contributors | Campbell, Ellen S., Florida State University |
| Source Sets | Florida State University |
| Language | English |
| Detected Language | English |
| Type | Text |
| Format | 161 p. |
| Rights | On campus use only. |
| Relation | Dissertation Abstracts International |
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