Effect of Restricting Access to Health Care on Health Expenditures among Asylum-Seekers and Refugees: A Quasi-Experimental Study in Germany, 1994-2013.

ABSTRACT:

Background

Access to health care for asylum-seekers and refugees (AS&R) in Germany is initially restricted before regular access is granted, allegedly leading to delayed care and increasing costs of care. We analyse the effects of (a) restricted access; and (b) two major policy reforms (1997, 2007) on incident health expenditures for AS&R in 1994-2013.

Methods and findings

We used annual, nation-wide, aggregate data of the German Federal Statistics Office (1994-2013) to compare incident health expenditures among AS&R with restricted access (exposed) to AS&R with regular access (unexposed). We calculated incidence rate differences (∆IRt) and rate ratios (IRRt), as well as attributable fractions among the exposed (AFe) and the total population (AFp). The effects of between-gro

SUBMITTER: Bozorgmehr K 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC4511805 | biostudies-literature | 2015

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature