Shobhit Kulshreshtha (Tilburg University)

Shobhit Kulshreshtha
Tilburg University

Abstract

Abstract: Place-based characteristics, such as healthcare access and the local environment, are believed to influence healthcare utilization. Refugees resettled in developed countries are often assigned locations based on dispersal policies, yet the impact of initial placement on their healthcare usage remains understudied. This study uses Dutch administrative data to examine the effect of initial municipal assignment on healthcare utilization of refugees, leveraging the random assignment of refugees to municipalities. Findings show that 10% of the total variation in hospital visits among refugees can be explained by municipality effects. Additionally, being assigned to a municipality with a 1 percentage point higher hospital visit rate among non-refugees increases a refugee’s probability of hospital visits by 0.45 percentage points. There is heterogeneity in the results for other measures, such as depression medication use and general practitioner costs. The study highlights the role of local healthcare access in shaping healthcare usage among refugees, contributing to the policy debate that aim to provide separate and more targeted healthcare services to this vulnerable population. 

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