Business cycle sensitivity of statutory health insurance: Evidence from the Czech Republic

Arbeitspapier

Since the Czech healthcare system financing is based on Statutory Health Insurance scheme, it relies heavily on wage-based contributions from employers and employees and thus may be prone to business cycle fluctuations. This turned out to be a problem after the 2008 financialcrisis when the government had to issue loans to the insurance funds in order to cover the loss of revenue from the economically active population. This paper examines how the insurance funds' revenues react to economic downturns and expansions, and whether the e ect is visible immediately or with a lag. The data from Ministry of Health, Czech Republic, are used, as well as several macroeconomic variables representing the business cycle. The static and lagged regression models on log di erenced data are employed throughout the analysis. Significant pro-cyclicality in total health insurance funds' revenues and contributions from employers/employees is found, with the lagged effect being slightly stronger. On the contrary, contributions from state on behalf of economically inactive people do not display a significant relationship with business cycle. These results imply the need to increase state contributions during economic downturns in order to compensate for the loss of health insurance funds' revenues from economically active individuals.

Angaben zum Objekt

• Sprache: Englisch

Verweise und Beziehungen

• Erschienen in: Series: IES Working Paper ; No. 33/2020

Klassifikation und Themen

• Klassifikation: Wirtschaft ; Business Fluctuations; Cycles ; Financial Institutions and Services: Government Policy and Regulation ; Health Insurance, Public and Private ; Health: Government Policy; Regulation; Public Health
• Thema: health system financing ; sensitivity analysis ; business cycle ; Czech Republic ; social health insurance

Beteiligte, Orts- und Zeitangaben

• Ereignis: Geistige Schöpfung
• (wer): Landovská, Petra
• Ereignis: Veröffentlichung
• (wer): Charles University in Prague, Institute of Economic Studies (IES)
• (wo): Prague
• (wann): 2020

Weitere Informationen

• Handle: http://hdl.handle.net/10419/228115
• Letzte Aktualisierung: 10.03.2025, 11:42 MEZ