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Measuring Access and Inequality of Access to Health Care: a Policy-Oriented Decomposition

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Abstract

We propose an approach for the measurement of health care inequalities inspired by the ideal of equal universal access. The approach assesses the chances of access to health treatments of appropriate quality, for any given realization of socially relevant characteristics an individual may have. It allows to assess supply-side (cost-specific) and demand-side (resource-specific) determinants of health care inequality. An empirical exercise using Italian data shows that the methodology can be employed to improve the design of policies addressing health care inequalities.

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  • Antonio Abatemarco & Massimo Aria & Sergio Beraldo & Michela Collaro, 2023. "Measuring Access and Inequality of Access to Health Care: a Policy-Oriented Decomposition," CSEF Working Papers 666, Centre for Studies in Economics and Finance (CSEF), University of Naples, Italy.
    • Handle: RePEc:sef:csefwp:666
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    More about this item

    Keywords

    health care; equality of opportunity; factor-decomposition; health policy;
    All these keywords.

    JEL classification:

    • I14 - Health, Education, and Welfare - - Health - - - Health and Inequality
    • I18 - Health, Education, and Welfare - - Health - - - Government Policy; Regulation; Public Health
    • D63 - Microeconomics - - Welfare Economics - - - Equity, Justice, Inequality, and Other Normative Criteria and Measurement

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