Other publication
Reminders, Cost Sharing, and Healthcare Use
Authors: Haaga Tapio, Sääksvuori Lauri, Tervola Jussi
Publication year: 2022
Web address : https://osf.io/xebfu(external)
This populated pre-analysis plan presents all pre-specified analyses of a large-scale randomized controlled trial that examines the effects of an information intervention on health care use in Finland. Informational letters reminded individuals about the importance of early detection and treatment of health conditions. Furthermore, there were treatment arms that also informed about the recent abolition of copayments for curative primary care nurse visits. Our primary objectives are twofold. First, we examine whether our intervention induces an exogenous increase in public primary care visits in Finland, a healthcare system characterized by strict gatekeeping. Second, we estimate how information on the abolition of nurse visit copayments affects the consumption of medical care. Our intent-to-treat estimates show null results. Neither the letters in general nor the copayment information affect public primary care use.