Associations of lack of voluntary private insurance and out-of-pocket expenditures with health inequalities. Evidence from an international longitudinal survey in countries with universal health coverage.

ABSTRACT:

Objectives

In countries with universal health coverage (UHC), national public health insurances cover 70% of health expenditures on average, but health care user fees and out-of-pocket expenditures have been neglected in empirical patient-centered health inequality research. This study is the first to investigate how health care-related factors are associated with health status among middle-aged and elderly people-vulnerable groups for the burden of illness-in countries with UHC.

Design

Longitudinal observational cohort study.

Setting

Population-based cohort Survey of Health, Ageing and Retirement in Europe (SHARE) in twelve countries with UHC.

Participants

Non-institutionalized people aged 50 and older (n = 29,260). Two subsamples were also used: participants

SUBMITTER: Baggio S 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC6177131 | biostudies-literature | 2018

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature