@TechReport{iza:izadps:dp17771, author={Albertini, Mattia and Bakx, Pieter and Mazzonna, Fabrizio}, title={Health and Labor Market Consequences of Low-Value Care: The Role of Practice Style}, year={2025}, month={Mar}, institution={Institute of Labor Economics (IZA)}, address={Bonn}, type={IZA Discussion Paper}, number={17771}, url={https://www.iza.org/index.php/publications/dp17771}, abstract={We investigate the health and labor market consequences of primary care variation in benzodiazepine prescriptions, a common type of low-value care. Linking Dutch general practitioners’ records to administrative data, we construct an exogenous measure of prescribing behavior that exploits institutional constraints limiting patient choice. Using the loss of a close relative as a common mental health shock and a dynamic difference-in-differences approach, we find that patients treated by high-prescribing GPs are more likely to receive out-of-guidelines benzodiazepine prescriptions, become long-term users, and are less likely to access specialized mental health care. These patients also experience worse labor market outcomes, including increased short-term reliance on unemployment benefits and substantial long-term declines in earnings, primarily driven by reduced wages.}, keywords={labor market;mental health;prescribing style;primary care;benzodiazepine;bereavement}, }