Please use this identifier to cite or link to this item: https://hdl.handle.net/10419/250547 
Year of Publication: 
2021
Series/Report no.: 
IZA Discussion Papers No. 14886
Publisher: 
Institute of Labor Economics (IZA), Bonn
Abstract: 
To test for ethnic discrimination in access to outpatient health care services, we carry out an email-correspondence study in Germany. We approach 3,224 physician offices in the 79 largest cities in Germany with fictitious appointment requests and randomized patients' characteristics. We find that patients' ethnicity, as signaled by distinct Turkish versus German names, does not affect whether they receive an appointment or wait time. In contrast, patients with private insurance are 31 percent more likely to receive an appointment. Holding a private insurance also increases the likelihood of receiving a response and reduces the wait time. This suggests that physicians use leeway to prioritize privately insured patients to enhance their earnings, but they do not discriminate persons of Turkish origin based on taste. Still, their behavior creates means-based barriers for economically disadvantaged groups.
Subjects: 
discrimination
immigrants
ethnicity
health care markets
health insurance
inequality
correspondence experiment
field experiment
JEL: 
I11
J15
I14
I18
H51
C93
Document Type: 
Working Paper

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