Price sensitivity of demand for prescription drugs: exploiting a regression kink design

Citation
Simonsen, Marianne et al., Price sensitivity of demand for prescription drugs: exploiting a regression kink design, Journal of applied econometrics , 31(2), 2016, pp. 320-337
ISSN journal
08837252
Volume
31
Issue
2
Year of publication
2016
Pages
320 - 337
Database
ACNP
SICI code
Abstract
We investigate price sensitivity of demand for prescription drugs, using drug purchase records for the entire Danish population. We identify price responsiveness by exploiting variation in prices caused by kinked reimbursement schemes and implement a regression kink design. The results suggest some price responsiveness with corresponding price elasticities ranging from −0.2 to −0.7. Individuals with chronic disease and especially individuals above the age of 65 respond less to the price of drugs.