Research (Google Scholar Profile)

Zichun Zhao, “Cancer, Financial Burden and Health Insurance” Work in progress. .

Zichun Zhao, “The Spillover Effect of Public Prescription Drug Insurance Expansion: Evidence from OHIP+.” Working Paper. .
Abstract: This study examines the impact of public prescription drug coverage, specifically the Ontario Health Insurance Plan Plus (OHIP+) implemented in Ontario, Canada, in 2018, on emergency department (ED) utilization. It is hypothesized that prior to OHIP+, individuals without coverage for prescription drugs were less likely to visit a family physician, potentially leading to either increased ED visits (where prescription drugs can be obtained for free at the hospital’s pharmacy) or a neglect of ambulatory care, culminating in ED visits due to deteriorating health, an instance of the offset effect of primary care. The findings suggest that OHIP+ implementation decreased the likelihood of ED visits among the population most vulnerable to lacking coverage beforehand-individuals aged 18-24 from low-income families. This decrease was partly attributable to a reduction in visits for non-Ambulatory Care Sensitive Conditions (non-ACSC). The study also reveals that beneficiaries from non-low-income families, as well as non-beneficiaries, were more likely to visit the ED for non-ACSC cases. This suggests that there was an increased rationing of access to family physicians in Ontario concurrent with the implementation of OHIP+.

Zichun Zhao, and Michel Grignon “Minimum Wage and Employer-Sponsored Supplementary Health Insurance: Evidence from Canada”. Working Paper
Abstract: This study explores the effect of increases in the minimum wage on the probability of receiving supplementary prescription drug insurance through the workplace in Canada: Do Canadian employers respond to higher minimum wage by reducing insurance coverage? We use self-reports on supplementary health insurance through the workplace from seven waves (2013 to 2019) of the Canadian Community Health Survey. We also use the fact that the minimum wage is a provincial jurisdiction in Canada to study the effects of the level of and changes in the minimum wage across provinces and over time in a difference-in-difference and triple-differences framework. Our main findings are that the level of the minimum wage has almost no effect on prescription drug insurance provision by employers within the range of values observed in Canada between 2013 and 2019; however, a small proportion of employers react to large yearly changes (30 cents and above) by temporarily cutting back on prescription drug benefits.