Impact Insurance Research Paper #5: Microinsurance utilization in Nicaragua

The aim of Research Paper #5 was to extend analysis on a randomized evaluation of voluntary health insurance in Managua, Nicaragua. The paper presents evidence that this insurance product did not increase wasteful consumption: children who were insured but not sick at the beginning of the study reported fewer visits to all providers than those who were uninsured but not sick. Importantly, this insurance product did result in some targeting towards less healthy children, as those who were sick at the beginning of the study reported significantly more visits to all providers, including covered providers. The researchers also present retention results where they find that only 6 percent of those insured were retained 18 months after subsidies were no longer available. Lastly, they present some descriptive statistics of diagnoses at health centers and costs to discuss the implications of the main burdens of disease.