Logical inconsistencies in survey respondents' health state valuations -- a methodological challenge for estimating social tariffs.

Abstract

Logical inconsistencies in survey respondents' valuations of hypothetical health states - represented by the EQ-5D, for example - present a conundrum as to whether or not their responses ought to be included for estimating social 'tariffs'. A 'logical inconsistency' occurs when a state that 'in logical terms' is unambiguously less severe than another is assigned a lower value. Excluding such responses is defensible on data quality grounds but puts at risk the representativeness of the estimated tariff, given it is meant to represent the preferences of 'society'. This paper explores the rationale for and effect of excluding, to varying degrees, responses distinguished by the number of pairwis..