We estimate the extent of defensive medicine by physicians, embracing the no-liability counterfactual made possible by the structure of liability rules in the Military Heath System. Active-duty patients seeking treatment from military facilities cannot sue for harms resulting from negligent care, while protections are provided to dependents treated at military facilities and to all patients-active-duty or not-that receive care from civilian facilities. Drawing on this variation and exploiting exogenous shocks to care location choices stemming from base-hospital closures, we find suggestive evidence that liability immunity reduces inpatient spending by 5% with no measurable negative effect on patient outcomes.

中文翻译：

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防御医学：军事豁免的证据

我们估计了医生防御性医学的范围，包括军事卫生系统中的责任规则结构所带来的无责任反事实。在军事设施寻求治疗的现役患者不能就疏忽护理造成的伤害提起诉讼，而在军事设施接受治疗的家属以及所有在民用设施接受护理的患者（无论是否现役）都受到保护。利用这种变化并利用基地医院关闭对护理地点选择造成的外源性冲击，我们发现了有启发性的证据，表明责任豁免可减少 5% 的住院支出，且对患者治疗结果没有可测量的负面影响。