Affiliation:
1. University of Chicago and NBER (email: )
2. Harvard University and NBER (email: )
3. Harvard University (email: )
4. McKinsey & Company (email: )
Abstract
We show in two natural experiments that default rules in Medicare Part D have large, persistent effects on enrollment and drug utilization of low-income beneficiaries. The implications of this phenomenon for welfare and optimal policy depend on the sensitivity of passivity to the value of the default option. Using random assignment to default options, we show that beneficiary passivity is extremely insensitive, even when enrolling in the default option would result in substantial drug consumption losses. A third natural experiment suggests that variation in active choice is driven by random transitory shocks rather than the inherent attentiveness of some beneficiaries. (JEL D91, I13, I18, I38, L65)
Publisher
American Economic Association
Subject
Economics and Econometrics
Cited by
1 articles.
订阅此论文施引文献
订阅此论文施引文献,注册后可以免费订阅5篇论文的施引文献,订阅后可以查看论文全部施引文献