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Title: Do Pandemics Change Healthcare Preferences? Evidence from the Great Influenza
Citation Type: Miscellaneous
Publication Year: 2022
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Abstract: Using newly digitized U.S. city-level data on hospitals, we explore how pandemics alter preferences for healthcare. We find that cities with higher levels of mortality during the Great Influenza of 1918-1919 subsequently expanded access to hospital care by more than less affected locations. This effect persisted to 1960 and was driven by increases in non-government hospitals. Growth responded most in richer cities, exacerbating existing inequalities in access to healthcare. We do not find evidence that government-run hospitals or other types of city-level spending related to healthcare responded to pandemic intensity, suggesting that large health shocks do not necessarily lead to increased public provision of health services.
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Authors: Esteves, Rui; Mitchener, Kris James; Nencka, Peter; Thomasson, Melissa
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Data Collections: IPUMS USA
Topics: Population Health and Health Systems
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