Activation against absenteeism –Evidence from a sickness insurance reform in Norway

Publication date: Available online 27 September 2018Source: Journal of Health EconomicsAuthor(s): Hernæs ØysteinAbstractI evaluate a program aimed at strictly enforcing a requirement that people on long-term sick leave be partly back at work unless explicitly defined as an exception. Employing the synthetic control method, I find that the reform reduced work-hours lost due to sickness absenteeism by 12 % in the reform region compared to a comparison unit created by a weighted average of similar regions. The effect is driven by both increased part-time presence of temporary disabled workers and accelerated recovery. Musculoskeletal disorders was the diagnosis group declining the most. The findings imply large savings in social security expenditures.
Source: Journal of Health Economics - Category: Health Management Source Type: research