| Abstract: |
In this paper we study individuals' choice of general practitioners (GPs)
utilizing revealed preferences data from the introduction of a regular general
practitioner scheme in Norway. Having information on relevant travel
distances, we compute decision makers' travel costs associated with different
modes of travel. Choice probabilities are estimated by means of nested logit
regression on a representative sample of Oslo inhabitants. The results support
the general hypothesis that patients prefer doctors who resemble themselves on
observable characteristics: Individuals prefer GPs having the same gender and
similar age. Specialist status of GPs was found to have a smaller effect on
choice probabilities than other attributes such as matching gender. When
travel costs are calculated by means of taxi prices, the estimated willingness
to pay for specialist status of a GP amounts to € 0.89 per consultation,
whereas the estimated willingness to pay for having a GP with the same gender
amounts to respectively € 1.71 and € 3.55 for female and male decision makers,
respectively. |