Medical Care Price Indices: Problems and Opportunities

Joseph P. Newhouse

《經濟論文》 29卷1期 (2001/03) Pp. 1-65

摘要

計算醫療價格指數所造成的偏誤往往影響到整體物價指數，如GDP平減指數與消費者物價指數。在這篇論文中我首先將回顧價格指數的用途以及建構指數的理論，然後針對醫療價格的衡量以及理論不適用的情形分別加以討論，並提出另一種理論。本文的結論是：美國醫療價格指數的偏誤仍然會影響整體物價指數，尤其是美國的GDP平減指數。

關鍵字

物價指數 ； 醫療價格指數 ； 生產力

並列摘要

There are numerous sources of bias in medical care price indices that lead to non-trivial biases in overall price indices such as the GDP deflator and the Consumer Price Index. I begin by reviewing various uses of price indices and therefore why both biases and changes in those biases matter. I describe the theory underlying official price indices. I next turn to problems of measuring medical prices, assuming the applicability of the theory upon which the indices are based. Finally I take up the potential inapplicability of the assumptions made by that theory. I describe an alternative theory and its implications for the measurement of medical prices. I conclude that the biases in the official American medical care price indices, while reduced by recent improvements, likely remain substantial enough to affect the overall indices, especially the American GDP deflator, where the weight of medical care is around 13 percent.

並列關鍵字

Price indices ； Medical care price indices ； Productivity

參考文獻

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