title: Do microfinance programs help families insure consumption against illness?
abstract: Families in developing countries face enormous financial risks from major illness both in terms of the cost of medical care and the loss in income associated with reduced labor supply and productivity. We test whether access to microfinancial savings and lending institutions helps Indonesian families smooth consumption after declines in adult health. In general, results support the importance of these institutions in helping families to self-insure consumption against health shocks.
authors.affiliation: Haas School of Business, University of California, Berkeley, CA 94720-1900, USA. gertler@haas.berkeley.edu
authors.forename: Paul
authors.initials: P
authors.lastname: Gertler
authors.forename: David I
authors.initials: DI
authors.lastname: Levine
authors.forename: Enrico
authors.initials: E
authors.lastname: Moretti
mesh_terms: D000203:Activities of Daily Living; D000293:Adolescent; D000328:Adult; D002388:Catastrophic Illness / Q000191:economics* / Q000453:epidemiology; D002648:Child; D002675:Child, Preschool; D003132:Commerce / Q000706:statistics & numerical data*; D017281:Cost of Illness; D003906:Developing Countries / Q000191:economics; D005190:Family; D005191:Family Characteristics; D005260:Female; D005382:Financing, Personal / Q000379:methods* / Q000706:statistics & numerical data; D005102:Health Expenditures; D006305:Health Status Indicators; D006801:Humans; D007182:Income; D007214:Indonesia / Q000453:epidemiology; D007223:Infant; D007231:Infant, Newborn; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D018803:Models, Economic; D055815:Young Adult