Demand for voluntary health insurance - How people’s satisfaction with public healthcare affects demand for voluntary health insurance in the Beveridge countries Sweden, Denmark, and Spain

Abstract

With a growing market for voluntary health insurance (VHI), knowing why individuals demand voluntary health insurance will be of interest for both policymakers and insurance companies. Shedding light on how people's satisfaction with the national healthcare system affects VHI uptake is therefore the aim of this study. This study is focusing on Sweden, Denmark, and Spain which all have a Beveridge healthcare system. Using SHARE data with a linear probability model. As a result this study provides that there is a relationship between dissatisfaction with the public healthcare system and VHI uptake, being found in Sweden, somewhat in Spain but with inconclusive results for Denmark. Moreover, education, income, age, and type of employment was also found to have a relationship with VHI uptake.