Jieun Chang1, Scott J Savage2, Donald M Waldman3. 1. Department of Social Sciences, Southwestern Oklahoma State University, Weatherford, OK, 73096, USA. 2. Department of Economics, University of Colorado Boulder, 256 UCB, Boulder, CO, 80309, USA. 3. Department of Economics, University of Colorado Boulder, 256 UCB, Boulder, CO, 80309, USA. waldman@colorado.edu.
Abstract
BACKGROUND: Research has outlined the benefits and costs of online health services, but these studies have typically focused on a specific geographic region or disease. Very few studies have estimated consumer demand for online health services. OBJECTIVE: This study estimated household's willingness to pay (WTP) for the ability to receive remote diagnosis, treatment, monitoring and consultations online (telehealth). METHODS: WTP was estimated with a random utility model and household data from a US survey employing repeated discrete-choice experiments. RESULTS: The representative household was willing to pay $US4.39 per month for telehealth. This valuation increased to $US5.85 for households with higher opportunity costs, as measured by income, and to $US6.22 for households living more than 20 miles away from their nearest medical facility. CONCLUSION: WTP estimates offer insights into the potential benefits from policies intended to promote the expansion of online health services into underserved areas. These include the Federal Communications Commission's Rural Healthcare Pilot Program and the Department of Agriculture's Distance Learning and Telemedicine Grants programme.
BACKGROUND: Research has outlined the benefits and costs of online health services, but these studies have typically focused on a specific geographic region or disease. Very few studies have estimated consumer demand for online health services. OBJECTIVE: This study estimated household's willingness to pay (WTP) for the ability to receive remote diagnosis, treatment, monitoring and consultations online (telehealth). METHODS: WTP was estimated with a random utility model and household data from a US survey employing repeated discrete-choice experiments. RESULTS: The representative household was willing to pay $US4.39 per month for telehealth. This valuation increased to $US5.85 for households with higher opportunity costs, as measured by income, and to $US6.22 for households living more than 20 miles away from their nearest medical facility. CONCLUSION: WTP estimates offer insights into the potential benefits from policies intended to promote the expansion of online health services into underserved areas. These include the Federal Communications Commission's Rural Healthcare Pilot Program and the Department of Agriculture's Distance Learning and Telemedicine Grants programme.