Influence of previous experience and socioeconomic characteristics on willingness to pay for physiotherapy in Poland

Abstract

The healthcare system in many countries is characterised by the co-existence of public and private medical services. Patients’ decisions regarding the purchase of private health services are made taking into account the trade-off between the price of a treatment and its quality and the waiting time. The aim of this study is to find out which factors impact the willingness to pay for health insurance or the willingness to pay for medical treatment. The study demonstrates that besides socio-demographic characteristics, some negative experiences (e.g. unavailable treatments, long waiting times, long journeys involved) and the experience of already having paid for treatments impact the willingness to pay. The results suggest that negative experiences are likely to cause a change in patients’ habits.