Please use this identifier to cite or link to this item: https://hdl.handle.net/10419/210980 
Year of Publication: 
2019
Series/Report no.: 
Discussion Papers No. 919
Publisher: 
Statistics Norway, Research Department, Oslo
Abstract: 
We estimate the effects of wait time for orthopedic surgery on health and labor market outcomes of Norwegian workers. Our identification strategy exploits variation in wait times for surgery generated by the idiosyncratic variation in system congestion at the time of referral. While we find no significant evidence of lasting health effects, longer wait times have persistent negative effects on subsequent labor supply. For every 10 days spent waiting for surgery, we estimate health-related workplace absences increase 8.7 days over the five years following referral, and the likelihood of permanent disability insurance increases by 0.4 percentage point. Cost benefit calculations point to sizable fiscal savings from shorter wait times.
Subjects: 
Wait time
queues
hospital treatment
health outcomes
labor market attachment
sickness absence
JEL: 
I12
J32
Document Type: 
Working Paper

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