Distributional Effect of Insurer Competition on Premiums: Evidence From the Employer-Sponsored Health Insurance Market

• 成果类型: Article; Early Access
• 署名作者: Lin, Haizhen; Zhou, Yaying
• 署名单位: Indiana University System; Pennsylvania State System of Higher Education (PASSHE); Indiana University Bloomington; IU Kelley School of Business; Indiana University of Pennsylvania; Nanyang Technological University
• 刊物名称: RAND JOURNAL OF ECONOMICS
• ISSN/ISSBN: 0741-6261
• DOI: 10.1111/1756-2171.70065
• 发表日期: 2026
• 关键词: Bargaining power; benefits; mergers; prices

摘要

We study how insurer competition affects premiums for fully-insured plans in the employer-sponsored health insurance market. By utilizing quasi-experimental variations induced by mergers among national insurers, we show that increased insurer concentration leads to higher premiums, but there exists substantial heterogeneity. In particular, we find that a increase in insurer concentration increases premiums for mid-sized firms by but reduces premiums for large firms by . We explore additional sources of heterogeneity to shed light on the underlying mechanisms and conclude by discussing policy implications.