CONCEPTUALIZING RACE IN ECONOMIC-MODELS OF MEDICAL UTILIZATION - A CASE-STUDY OF COMMUNITY-BASED ELDERS AND THE EMERGENCY ROOM

There is no consensus on the appropriate conceptualization of race in economic models of health care. This is because race is rarely the pri mary focus for analysis of the market. This article presents an altern ative framework for conceptualizing race in health economic models. A case study is analyzed to illustrate the value of the alternative conc eptualization. The case study findings clearly-document the importance of model stratification according to race. Moreover, the findings ind icate that empirical results are improved when medical utilization mod els are refined in a way that reflects the unique experiences of the p opulation that is studied.