Determinants of Household Out-of-Pocket Health Expenditures

This study examines the variation in out-of-pocket expenditures for health services among different types of households and identifies the socioeconomic variables important in determining these expenditures. Contrary to the expectation that insurance coverage reduces out-of-pocket expenditures for health services, it is found that households with health insurance have higher out-of-pocket expenditures. This is strong evidence of the presence of moral hazard in medical care markets and adverse selection in insurance markets.