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Equal long-term care for equal needs with universal and comprehensive coverage? An assessment using Dutch administrative data

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  • Marianne Tenand

    (Erasmus University Rotterdam)

  • Pieter Bakx

    (Erasmus University Rotterdam)

  • Eddy (E.K.A.) van Doorslaer

    (Erasmus University Rotterdam)

Abstract

The Netherlands is one of the few countries that offer generous universal coverage of long-term care (LTC). Does this ensure that the Dutch elderly with similar care needs receive similar LTC, irrespective of their income? In contrast with previous studies of inequity in care use that relied on a statistically derived variable of needs, our paper exploits a readily available, administrative measure of LTC needs, stemming from the eligibility assessment organized by the Dutch LTC assessment agency. Using exhaustive administrative register data on 616,934 individuals aged 60 and older eligible for public LTC, we find a substantial pro-poor concentration of LTC use that is only partially explained by poorer individuals’ greater needs. Among those eligible for institutional care, higher-income individuals are more likely to use – less costly – home care. This pattern may be explained by differences in preferences, but also by their higher copayments for nursing homes and by greater feasibility of home-based LTC arrangements for richer elderly. At face value, our findings suggest that the Dutch LTC insurance ‘overshoots’ its target to ensure that LTC is accessible to poorer elderly. Yet, the implications depend on the origins of the difference and one’s normative stance.

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  • Marianne Tenand & Pieter Bakx & Eddy (E.K.A.) van Doorslaer, 2018. "Equal long-term care for equal needs with universal and comprehensive coverage? An assessment using Dutch administrative data," Tinbergen Institute Discussion Papers 18-098/V, Tinbergen Institute.
  • Handle: RePEc:tin:wpaper:20180098
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    References listed on IDEAS

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    Cited by:

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    2. Paula Cristina Albuquerque, 2020. "Need, unmet need, and shortage in the long-term care market," Working Papers Department of Economics 2020/01, ISEG - Lisbon School of Economics and Management, Department of Economics, Universidade de Lisboa.
    3. Bergeot, Julien & Tenand, Marianne, 2021. "Does informal care delay nursing home entry? Evidence from Dutch linked survey and administrative data," CEPREMAP Working Papers (Docweb) 2105, CEPREMAP.
    4. van der Vaart, J & Groneck, M & van Ooijen, R, 2024. "Health Inequalities and the Progressivity of Old-Age Social Insurance Programs," Health, Econometrics and Data Group (HEDG) Working Papers 24/20, HEDG, c/o Department of Economics, University of York.
    5. Marianne Tenand & Pieter Bakx & Bram Wouterse, 2021. "The impact of co-payments for nursing home care on use, health, and welfare," CPB Discussion Paper 430, CPB Netherlands Bureau for Economic Policy Analysis.
    6. Guangbo Ma & Kun Xu, 2022. "Value-Based Health Care: Long-Term Care Insurance for Out-of-Pocket Medical Expenses and Self-Rated Health," IJERPH, MDPI, vol. 20(1), pages 1-20, December.
    7. Bergeot, Julien & Tenand, Marianne, 2023. "Does informal care delay nursing home entry? Evidence from Dutch linked survey and administrative data," Journal of Health Economics, Elsevier, vol. 92(C).
    8. Bram Wouterse & Arjen Hussem & Albert Wong, 2022. "The risk protection and redistribution effects of long‐term care co‐payments," Journal of Risk & Insurance, The American Risk and Insurance Association, vol. 89(1), pages 161-186, March.
    9. Marianne Tenand & Arjen Hussem & Pieter Bakx, 2020. "Promoting aging in place through flexible care options: recent developments from the Netherlands [Encourager le maintien à domicile des personnes âgées dépendantes par des modalités alternatives de," Working Papers hal-02985777, HAL.
    10. Maja Matanic Vautmans & Marijana Oreb & Sasa Drezgic, 2023. "Socioeconomic inequality in the use of long-term care for the elderly in Europe," Public Sector Economics, Institute of Public Finance, vol. 47(2), pages 149-176.
    11. Pilar (P.) Garcia-Gomez & Helena M Hernandez-Pizarro & Guillem Lopez-Casasnovas & Joaquim Vidiella-Martin, 2019. "Unravelling Hidden Inequities in a Universal Public Long-Term Care System," Tinbergen Institute Discussion Papers 19-011/V, Tinbergen Institute.
    12. Changyong Yang & Jianyuan Huang & Jiahao Yu, 2023. "Inequalities in Resource Distribution and Healthcare Service Utilization of Long-Term Care in China," IJERPH, MDPI, vol. 20(4), pages 1-17, February.
    13. Marianne Tenand & Pieter Bakx & Eddy van Doorslaer, 2020. "Eligibility or use? Disentangling the sources of horizontal inequity in home care receipt in the Netherlands," Health Economics, John Wiley & Sons, Ltd., vol. 29(10), pages 1161-1179, October.

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    More about this item

    Keywords

    Long-term care; Equity in care use; Horizontal equity; Socio-economic inequality;
    All these keywords.

    JEL classification:

    • J14 - Labor and Demographic Economics - - Demographic Economics - - - Economics of the Elderly; Economics of the Handicapped; Non-Labor Market Discrimination
    • I14 - Health, Education, and Welfare - - Health - - - Health and Inequality
    • D63 - Microeconomics - - Welfare Economics - - - Equity, Justice, Inequality, and Other Normative Criteria and Measurement

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