Template-Type: ReDIF-Paper 1.0

Author-Name: Yleania Brilli 
Author-X-Name-First: Ylenia
Author-X-Name-Last: Brilli


Author-Name: Claudio Lucifora
Author-X-Name-First: Claudio
Author-X-Name-Last: Lucifora
Author-Email: claudio.lucifora@unicatt.it
Author-Workplace-Name: Università Cattolica del Sacro Cuore
Author-Workplace-Name: Dipartimento di Economia e Finanza, Università Cattolica del Sacro Cuore


Author-Name: Antonio Russo
Author-X-Name-First: Antonio
Author-X-Name-Last: Russo


Author-Name: Marco Tonello
Author-X-Name-First: Marco
Author-X-Name-Last: Tonello



Title: Vaccination take-up and health: evidence from a flu vaccination program for the elderly.


Abstract: We analyze the effects of a vaccination program providing free flu vaccine to individuals
aged 65 or more on take-up and hospitalization. By using linked patient-general
practitioner (GP) data, we implement a regression discontinuity design around the
threshold at age 65. We find that the program increases vaccination take-up by
6 percentage points, which corresponds to 75% of the take-up for non-eligible individuals,
and reduces the probability of hospitalization by about 44%. We show
that the effect on take-up is not entirely due to an income channel, and that the effect
on health is mainly driven by patients with higher-quality GPs and emergency
hospitalizations.
Length: 44
Creation-Date: 2019-07
File-URL: http://dipartimenti.unicatt.it/economia-finanza-def082.pdf
File-Format: Application/pdf
File-Function: First version, 2019
Number: def082
Classification-JEL: I12, I18, J10. 
Keywords: vaccination, influenza, public health, health prevention policies.
Handle: RePEc:ctc:serie1:def082