title: Assessing the effectiveness of health care cost containment measures: evidence from the market for rehabilitation care.
abstract: This study empirically evaluates the effectiveness of different health care cost containment measures. The measures investigated were introduced in Germany in 1997 to reduce moral hazard and public health expenditures in the market for rehabilitation care. Of the analyzed measures, doubling the daily copayments was clearly the most effective cost containment measure, resulting in a reduction in utilization of about [Formula: see text] . Indirect measures such as allowing employers to cut federally mandated sick pay or paid vacation during inpatient post-acute care stays did not significantly reduce utilization. There is evidence neither for adverse health effects nor for substitution effects in terms of more doctor visits.
authors.affiliation: Department of Policy Analysis and Management (PAM), Cornell University, 106 Martha Van Rensselaer Hall, Ithaca, NY, 14850, USA, nrz2@cornell.edu.
authors.forename: Nicolas R
authors.initials: NR
authors.lastname: Ziebarth
mesh_terms: D000293:Adolescent; D000328:Adult; D000368:Aged; D000369:Aged, 80 and over; D003363:Cost Control / Q000379:methods; D017047:Cost Sharing / Q000191:economics; D016208:Databases, Factual; D005260:Female; D005858:Germany; D017048:Health Care Costs / Q000639:trends*; D005102:Health Expenditures / Q000639:trends; D006296:Health Services / Q000706:statistics & numerical data; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D019145:Rehabilitation Nursing / Q000191:economics*; D012456:Salaries and Fringe Benefits / Q000191:economics / Q000331:legislation & jurisprudence; D055815:Young Adult