Consider the measurement of prices in the medical sector, where there is rapid innovation. Consider the case of a medical check-up for pregnant women. Assume that this service is privately provided. Suppose that a new ultrasound method is introduced. In the first year that this new method is available, half of doctors offer the new method and half offer the old method. Pregnant women frequent both doctors. A checkup using the new method costs 10% more than a check-up using the old one. 1. In percentage terms, how much of a quality increase does the new method represent compared to the old method? Now suppose that in addition, in the first year the new method is offered, the price of check- ups with the new method is 15% higher than the price of check-ups in the previous year (when everyone used the old method). 2. How much of the higher price of checkups using the new method reflects a true price increase and how much represents a quality increase? How much higher is the quality- adjusted price of check-ups using the new method compared to check-ups in the previous year?
Consider the measurement of prices in the medical sector, where there is rapid innovation. Consider the case of a medical check-up for pregnant women. Assume that this service is privately provided. Suppose that a new ultrasound method is introduced. In the first year that this new method is available, half of doctors offer the new method and half offer the old method. Pregnant women frequent both doctors. A checkup using the new method costs 10% more than a check-up using the old one. 1. In percentage terms, how much of a quality increase does the new method represent compared to the old method? Now suppose that in addition, in the first year the new method is offered, the price of check- ups with the new method is 15% higher than the price of check-ups in the previous year (when everyone used the old method). 2. How much of the higher price of checkups using the new method reflects a true price increase and how much represents a quality increase? How much higher is the quality- adjusted price of check-ups using the new method compared to check-ups in the previous year?
Chapter1: Making Economics Decisions
Section: Chapter Questions
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
Transcribed Image Text:Consider the measurement of prices in the medical sector, where there is rapid innovation.
Consider the case of a medical check-up for pregnant women. Assume that this service is
privately provided. Suppose that a new ultrasound method is introduced. In the first year that
this new method is available, half of doctors offer the new method and half offer the old
method. Pregnant women frequent both doctors. A checkup using the new method costs 10%
more than a check-up using the old one.
1. In percentage terms, how much of a quality increase does the new method represent
compared to the old method?
Now suppose that in addition, in the first year the new method is offered, the price of check-
ups with the new method is 15% higher than the price of check-ups in the previous year (when
everyone used the old method).
2. How much of the higher price of checkups using the new method reflects a true price
increase and how much represents a quality increase? How much higher is the quality-
adjusted price of check-ups using the new method compared to check-ups in the
previous year?
Now suppose that in the year the new method is introduced, all doctors adopt the new
method, and the old method is no longer offered. In addition, continue to assume that the price
of check-ups with the new method is 15% higher than the price of check-ups in the previous
year.
3. Under these assumptions, what information required to compute the quality-adjusted
price increase of check-ups is lacking? Even without this information, can we say
anything about the quality-adjusted price increase of check-ups? Is it more or less than
15%? Explain.
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