Date Thesis Awarded
5-2022
Access Type
Honors Thesis -- Open Access
Degree Name
Bachelors of Arts (BA)
Department
Economics
Advisor
Tate Twinam
Committee Members
Nathaniel Throckmorton
Elyas Bakhtiari
Abstract
Healthcare costs in the U.S. have risen over recent decades, and this issue was a focal point of the last several national election cycles. I investigate the relationship between out-of-pocket healthcare costs and incidences of catastrophic and impoverishing healthcare expenditure. I also explore whether other important factors, such as demographic, personal health, and those related to the healthcare system change the likelihood of such healthcare expenditures. Lastly, I use a difference in means method and logistic regressions to analyze the probability of incurring undesirable healthcare expenses and the impacts of relevant factors for certain subsections of the U.S. population. I confirm previous findings on the effects of healthcare system utilization, health status, and socioeconomic status. Additionally, I find evidence that Africans Americans, women, the disabled, and those with chronic health conditions are disproportionately susceptible to catastrophic and impoverishing healthcare expenditures.
Recommended Citation
Taylor, Cody Sanford, "Out-of-Pocket Healthcare Costs and Undesirable Healthcare Expenditures" (2022). Undergraduate Honors Theses. William & Mary. Paper 1863.
https://scholarworks.wm.edu/honorstheses/1863
