False alarm? Estimating the marginal value of health signals

• 成果类型: Article
• 署名作者: Iizuka, Toshiaki; Nishiyama, Katsuhiko; Chen, Brian; Eggleston, Karen
• 署名单位: University of Tokyo; University of North Carolina; University of North Carolina Chapel Hill; University of North Carolina School of Medicine; University of South Carolina System; University of South Carolina Columbia; Stanford University; National Bureau of Economic Research
• 刊物名称: JOURNAL OF PUBLIC ECONOMICS
• ISSN/ISSBN: 0047-2727
• DOI: 10.1016/j.jpubeco.2021.104368
• 发表日期: 2021
• 关键词: health; signals; INFORMATION; Value; prevention; Diabetes

摘要

We investigate the marginal value of information in the context of health signals that people receive after checkups. Although underlying health status is similar for individuals just below and above a clinical threshold, treatments differ according to the checkup signals they receive. For the general population, whereas health warnings about diabetes increase healthcare utilization, health outcomes do not improve. However, among high-risk individuals, outcomes do improve, and improved health is worth its cost. These results indicate that the marginal value of health information depends on setting appropriate thresholds for health warnings and targeting individuals most likely to benefit from follow-up medical care. ? 2021 The Author(s). Published by Elsevier B.V. This is an open access article under the CC BY license (http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/).