Measuring voluntary responses in healthcare utilization during the COVID-19 pandemic: Evidence from Taiwan

ABSTRACT: Healthcare has been one of the most affected sectors during the coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) pandemic. The utilization of related services for non-COVID-19 diseases fell dramatically following the point at which the virus broke out; however, little is known about whether this observed decline in healthcare use was due to voluntary behaviors or enforced measures. This paper quantifies the spontaneous change in healthcare utilization during the pandemic. We utilize a county-by-week-level dataset from Taiwan’s National Health Insurance (NHI) record, covering the entire Taiwanese population, and a difference-in-differences design. Our results indicate that even if there were no human mobility restrictions or supply-side constraints, people voluntarily reduced their demand for healthcare

SUBMITTER: Tsai Y 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC9731448 | biostudies-literature | 2022 Jan

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature