Is Physician Cost-Sharing an Alternative to Patient Cost-Sharing?Tobias Klein from Tilburg University is guest at HCHE Research Seminar

26 January 2026, 4:00 pm

As part of the HCHE Research Seminar, Prof. Tobias Klein of Tilburg University presents a model for reducing costs in the health care system. Klein investigates whether financial incentives for general practitioners (GPs) can lower costs in the health system as an alternative to patient cost-sharing. To this end, he conducts a field experiment in the Netherlands, where GPs receive a share of the cost savings achieved. The patient group comprises about 26,000 individuals and is representative of the Dutch population. Additionally, the impact of patient cost-sharing (copayments) is analyzed using a simulated instrumental variable approach. Both analyses use the same cost measures, the same time frame, and the same patient group.

The results show that GP incentives reduce costs by 4.3%, primarily by lowering unnecessary specialist visits. A annual patient own contribution of €375 however reduces monthly costs by 27.8% (as long as copayments are paid) or 10.4% annually, across all treatment types. Effects vary by the type and priority of treatment, and interaction effects between GP incentives and patient cost-sharing remain unclear. The conclusion is that GP incentives can complement patient cost-sharing but cannot fully replace it to effectively manage costs in the health care system.

Klein will present his findings at the HCHE Research Seminar on January 26, 2026 in Hamburg.

The HCHE Research Seminar is a forum for HCHE members and guests. Guest researchers invited present their current health economics research. The seminar takes place on selected Mondays from 16:00 to 17:15 pm. The full program can be found here.