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Inequity in healthcare use among older people after 2008: The case of Southern European Countries

Author

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  • Lara Tavares

    (CAPP, Instituto Superior de Ciências Sociais e Políticas, Universidade de Lisboa & CICS.NOVA, Centro Interdisciplinar de Ciências Sociais, Universidade Nova de Lisboa)

  • Francesca Zantomio

    (Department of Economics, University Of Venice CÃ Foscari)

Abstract

Despite the sizeable cuts in public healthcare spending, part of the austerity measures recently undertaken in Southern European countries, little attention has been devoted to monitoring distributional aspects of healthcare usage. This study aims at measuring socioeconomic inequities in primary and secondary healthcare experienced some time after the crisis onset in Italy, Spain and Portugal. The analysis, based on data drawn from the Survey of Health, Ageing and Retirement in Europe (SHARE), focuses on older people, who generally face significantly higher healthcare needs, and whose health appeared to have worsened in the aftermath of the crisis. The Horizontal Inequity indexes reveal remarkable socioeconomic inequities in older people's access to secondary healthcare in all three countries. In Portugal, the one country facing most severe healthcare budget cuts and where user charges apply also to GP visits, even access to primary care exhibits a significant pro-rich concentration. If reducing inequities in older people's access to healthcare remains a policy objective, austerity measures maybe pulling the Olive belt countries further away from achieving it.

Suggested Citation

  • Lara Tavares & Francesca Zantomio, 2017. "Inequity in healthcare use among older people after 2008: The case of Southern European Countries," Working Papers 2017:03, Department of Economics, University of Venice "Ca' Foscari".
    • Handle: RePEc:ven:wpaper:2017:03
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    Cited by:

    1. David Cantarero-Prieto & Marta Pascual-Sáez & Carla Blázquez-Fernández, 2018. "What is Happening with Quality of Life Among the Oldest People in Southern European Countries? An Empirical Approach Based on the SHARE Data," Social Indicators Research: An International and Interdisciplinary Journal for Quality-of-Life Measurement, Springer, vol. 140(3), pages 1195-1209, December.
    2. Marta González-Touya & Alexandrina Stoyanova & Rosa M. Urbanos-Garrido, 2021. "COVID-19 and Unmet Healthcare Needs of Older People: Did Inequity Arise in Europe?," IJERPH, MDPI, vol. 18(17), pages 1-15, August.
    3. Dhingra, Aarushi & Gannon, Brenda & Connelly, Luke & Mishra, Gita, 2025. "Equity in use and financing of assisted reproductive technologies: Does income matter?," Economics & Human Biology, Elsevier, vol. 57(C).
    4. Spitzer, Sonja & Shaikh, Mujaheed, 2022. "Health misperception and healthcare utilisation among older Europeans," The Journal of the Economics of Ageing, Elsevier, vol. 22(C).
    5. Ilaria Valentini & Mario Cesare Nurchis & Gerardo Altamura & Americo Cicchetti & Gianfranco Damiani & Giuseppe Arbia, 2024. "The Impact of Socio-Economic Conditions on Individuals’ Health: Development of an Index and Examination of its Association with Three of the Most Frequently Registered Diseases in Lazio Region of Ital," Social Indicators Research: An International and Interdisciplinary Journal for Quality-of-Life Measurement, Springer, vol. 173(3), pages 691-708, July.
    6. Bartram, Mary & Stewart, Jennifer M., 2019. "Income-based inequities in access to psychotherapy and other mental health services in Canada and Australia," Health Policy, Elsevier, vol. 123(1), pages 45-50.
    7. Pulok, Mohammad Habibullah & Hajizadeh, Mohammad, 2022. "Equity in the use of physician services in Canada's universal health system: A longitudinal analysis of older adults," Social Science & Medicine, Elsevier, vol. 307(C).
    8. Marina Damián Sanz & José A. Yagüe‐Fabra & Rosa Gracia Matilla, 2019. "Use of Lean techniques in health care in Spain to improve involvement and satisfaction of workers," International Journal of Health Planning and Management, Wiley Blackwell, vol. 34(1), pages 274-290, January.
    9. dos Santos, Anderson Moreira Aristides & Triaca, Lívia Madeira & Tejada, Cesar Augusto Oviedo, 2021. "Evolution of inequalities in health care use among older people in Brazil: Evidence for the period 1998–2019," The Journal of the Economics of Ageing, Elsevier, vol. 20(C).

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    JEL classification:

    • I13 - Health, Education, and Welfare - - Health - - - Health Insurance, Public and Private
    • I14 - Health, Education, and Welfare - - Health - - - Health and Inequality
    • H51 - Public Economics - - National Government Expenditures and Related Policies - - - Government Expenditures and Health

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