Willingness and ability of Bulgarian consumers to pay for improved public health care services

An application of the contingent valuation method to the willingness and ability of Bulgarian consumers to pay for public health care services is presented. The study uses data from a household survey conducted in May-June 2000. The willingness and ability to pay for outpatient, inpatient and dental services is investigated. A combination of interval checklist and open-ended questions are used to elicit the willingness-to-pay amounts. The impact of the sociodemographic characteristics on the responses is examined by a generalized Tobit regression. Based on the regression equation, the welfare effects of various fee levels are simulated.