Inter-brand Competition in the Convenience Store Industry, Store Density and Healthcare Utilization

Publication date: Available online 25 March 2019Source: Journal of Health EconomicsAuthor(s): Hung-Hao Chang, Chad D. MeyerhoeferAbstractWe investigate the impact of access to convenience stores and competition between convenience store chains on the use of medical care in Taiwan. Using insurance claims from 0.85 million individuals and administrative data on store sales, we find that greater store density and more inter-brand competition reduced expenditures on outpatient medical services and prescription drugs. In support of these findings, we demonstrate that convenience store competition was associated with greater consumption of healthy foods and lower obesity rates. Our estimates suggest that the rise convenience store competition from 2002-2012 reduced outpatient expenditures in Taiwan by 0.44 percent and prescription drug expenditures by 0.85 percent.
Source: Journal of Health Economics - Category: Health Management Source Type: research