IDEAS home Printed from https://ideas.repec.org/p/idb/brikps/3247.html
   My bibliography  Save this paper

A Moving Target: Universal Access to Healthcare Services in Latin America and the Caribbean

Author

Listed:
  • Savedoff, William D.

Abstract

Healthcare services are more widespread in Latin America and the Caribbean today than 50 years ago, yet this availability is not necessarily reflected in popular perceptions. This study documents the expansion of healthcare services in the region in terms of medically-trained professionals, service utilization, and insurance eligibility. It finds that people in countries with more doctors have a more positive view of access to healthcare and greater confidence in the healthcare system. However, other factors intervene in this relationship between perceptions and objective indicators, such as the strength of local social networks and wealth. As a consequence of rising expectations, differential access and continuing discontent, public policy can be driven by factors that are least likely to improve the population's health.

Suggested Citation

  • Savedoff, William D., 2009. "A Moving Target: Universal Access to Healthcare Services in Latin America and the Caribbean," IDB Publications (Working Papers) 3247, Inter-American Development Bank.
  • Handle: RePEc:idb:brikps:3247
    as

    Download full text from publisher

    File URL: https://publications.iadb.org/publications/english/document/A-Moving-Target-Universal-Access-to-Healthcare-Services-in-Latin-America-and-the-Caribbean.pdf
    Download Restriction: no
    ---><---

    References listed on IDEAS

    as
    1. Cutler, David & McClellan, Mark, 2001. "Productivity Change in Health Care," Scholarly Articles 2640585, Harvard University Department of Economics.
    2. David M. Cutler & Mark McClellan, 2001. "Productivity Change in Health Care," American Economic Review, American Economic Association, vol. 91(2), pages 281-286, May.
    Full references (including those not matched with items on IDEAS)

    Most related items

    These are the items that most often cite the same works as this one and are cited by the same works as this one.
    1. Helen Simpson, 2009. "Productivity In Public Services," Journal of Economic Surveys, Wiley Blackwell, vol. 23(2), pages 250-276, April.
    2. Rowena Jacobs & Diane Dawson, 2003. "Hospital efficiency targets," Health Economics, John Wiley & Sons, Ltd., vol. 12(8), pages 669-684, August.
    3. David Canning, 2012. "Progress in Health around the World," Journal of Development Studies, Taylor & Francis Journals, vol. 48(12), pages 1784-1798, December.
    4. Garcia-Goni, Manuel & Maroto, Andres & Rubalcaba, Luis, 2007. "Innovation and motivation in public health professionals," Health Policy, Elsevier, vol. 84(2-3), pages 344-358, December.
    5. Oliver Fritz & Peter Mayerhofer & Reinhard Haller & Gerhard Streicher & Florian Bachner & Herwig Ostermann, 2013. "Die regionalwirtschaftlichen Effekte der österreichischen Krankenanstalten," WIFO Studies, WIFO, number 46672, April.
    6. David Canning & Diana Bowser, 2011. "Investing in Health to Improve the Wellbeing of the Disadvantaged: Reversing the Augment of the Marmot Reports," PGDA Working Papers 7811, Program on the Global Demography of Aging.
    7. Ana Aizcorbe & Nicole Nestoriak, 2010. "Price Indexes for Drugs: A Review of the Issues," BEA Working Papers 0050, Bureau of Economic Analysis.
    8. Anowor Oluchukwu F.* & Nwonye Nnenna Georgina & Okorie George Chisom & Ojiogu Michael C., 2019. "Health Outcomes and Agricultural Output in Nigeria," International Journal of Economics and Financial Research, Academic Research Publishing Group, vol. 5(5), pages 106-111, 05-2019.

    More about this item

    Keywords

    medical care; health services accessibility; needs assessment; health policy; Health Financing; Access; Happiness;
    All these keywords.

    JEL classification:

    • I11 - Health, Education, and Welfare - - Health - - - Analysis of Health Care Markets
    • I18 - Health, Education, and Welfare - - Health - - - Government Policy; Regulation; Public Health
    • N96 - Economic History - - Regional and Urban History - - - Latin America; Caribbean

    Statistics

    Access and download statistics

    Corrections

    All material on this site has been provided by the respective publishers and authors. You can help correct errors and omissions. When requesting a correction, please mention this item's handle: RePEc:idb:brikps:3247. See general information about how to correct material in RePEc.

    If you have authored this item and are not yet registered with RePEc, we encourage you to do it here. This allows to link your profile to this item. It also allows you to accept potential citations to this item that we are uncertain about.

    If CitEc recognized a bibliographic reference but did not link an item in RePEc to it, you can help with this form .

    If you know of missing items citing this one, you can help us creating those links by adding the relevant references in the same way as above, for each refering item. If you are a registered author of this item, you may also want to check the "citations" tab in your RePEc Author Service profile, as there may be some citations waiting for confirmation.

    For technical questions regarding this item, or to correct its authors, title, abstract, bibliographic or download information, contact: Felipe Herrera Library (email available below). General contact details of provider: https://edirc.repec.org/data/iadbbus.html .

    Please note that corrections may take a couple of weeks to filter through the various RePEc services.

    IDEAS is a RePEc service. RePEc uses bibliographic data supplied by the respective publishers.