IDEAS home Printed from https://ideas.repec.org/a/eee/socmed/v74y2012i10p1644-1651.html
   My bibliography  Save this article

The effect of differential eligibility for free GP services on GP utilisation in Ireland

Author

Listed:
  • Nolan, Anne
  • Smith, Samantha

Abstract

Internationally, there is extensive empirical evidence that a strong primary care-led health system is associated with improved health outcomes, increased quality of care, decreased health inequalities and lower overall health-care costs. Within primary care, factors influencing access to, and utilisation of, general practitioner (GP) services have been widely examined and this paper focuses on the role of user financial incentives. In particular, user charges for health care have been observed to deter health-care utilisation. Relative to other countries, the Irish health-care system is unusual in that the majority of the population are required to pay out-of-pocket for GP care. However, in 2005 the Irish government extended eligibility for free GP care to a further small subset of the population. Using micro-data from a nationally representative survey of the population in 2007, this paper analyses the impact of differential coverage of free GP services on GP utilisation in Ireland. Results from multivariate regression analysis indicate that GP utilisation is significantly more likely in the context of free GP care, controlling for a range of demographic, socio-economic and health factors. Interpretation of the results for the new category of coverage is complicated by possible pent-up demand and selection effects.

Suggested Citation

  • Nolan, Anne & Smith, Samantha, 2012. "The effect of differential eligibility for free GP services on GP utilisation in Ireland," Social Science & Medicine, Elsevier, vol. 74(10), pages 1644-1651.
    • Handle: RePEc:eee:socmed:v:74:y:2012:i:10:p:1644-1651
    DOI: 10.1016/j.socscimed.2012.02.007
    as

    Download full text from publisher

    File URL: http://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S0277953612001748
    Download Restriction: Full text for ScienceDirect subscribers only
    File URL: https://libkey.io/10.1016/j.socscimed.2012.02.007?utm_source=ideas
    LibKey link: if access is restricted and if your library uses this service, LibKey will redirect you to where you can use your library subscription to access this item
    ---><---

    As the access to this document is restricted, you may want to search for a different version of it.

    References listed on IDEAS

    as
    1. Starfield, Barbara & Shi, Leiyu, 2002. "Policy relevant determinants of health: an international perspective," Health Policy, Elsevier, vol. 60(3), pages 201-218, June.
    2. Brick, Aoife & Nolan, Anne & O'Reilly, Jacqueline & Smith, Samantha, 2010. "Resource Allocation, Financing and Sustainability in the Health Sector," Papers RB2010/3/1, Economic and Social Research Institute (ESRI).
    3. Mark Stabile, 2001. "Private insurance subsidies and public health care markets: evidence from Canada," Canadian Journal of Economics/Revue canadienne d'économique, John Wiley & Sons, vol. 34(4), pages 921-942, November.
    4. Cumming, Jacqueline & Mays, Nicholas, 2011. "New Zealand’s Primary Health Care Strategy: early effects of the new financing and payment system for general practice and future challenges," Health Economics, Policy and Law, Cambridge University Press, vol. 6(1), pages 1-21, January.
    5. Shi, L. & Macinko, J. & Starfield, B. & Politzer, R. & Wulu, J. & Xu, J., 2005. "Primary care, social inequalities, and all-cause, heart disease, and cancer mortality in US counties, 1990," American Journal of Public Health, American Public Health Association, vol. 95(4), pages 674-680.
    6. Nolan, Anne, 2007. "The Economics of GP Utilisation," Book Chapters, in: Nolan, Brian (ed.),The Provision and Use of Health Services, Health Inequalities and Health and Social Gain, Economic and Social Research Institute (ESRI).
    7. Nolan, Anne & Nolan, Brian, 2007. "The Utilisation of GP Services," Book Chapters, in: Nolan, Brian (ed.),The Provision and Use of Health Services, Health Inequalities and Health and Social Gain, Economic and Social Research Institute (ESRI).
    8. Layte, Richard & Nolan, Anne & McGee, Hannah & O'Hanlon, Ann, 2009. "Do consultation charges deter general practitioner use among older people? A natural experiment," Social Science & Medicine, Elsevier, vol. 68(8), pages 1432-1438, April.
    9. Sara Allin & Jeremiah Hurley, 2009. "Inequity in publicly funded physician care: what is the role of private prescription drug insurance?," Health Economics, John Wiley & Sons, Ltd., vol. 18(10), pages 1218-1232, October.
    10. Samantha Smith, 2010. "The Irish ‘health basket’: a basket case?," The European Journal of Health Economics, Springer;Deutsche Gesellschaft für Gesundheitsökonomie (DGGÖ), vol. 11(3), pages 343-350, June.
    11. Deininger, Klaus & Mpuga, Paul, 2004. "Economic and Welfare Effects of the Abolition of Health User Fees : Evidence from Uganda," Policy Research Working Paper Series 3276, The World Bank.
    Full references (including those not matched with items on IDEAS)

    Citations

    Citations are extracted by the CitEc Project, subscribe to its RSS feed for this item.
    as


    Cited by:

    1. Richard Layte & Anne Nolan, 2015. "Eligibility for free GP care and the utilisation of GP services by children in Ireland," International Journal of Health Economics and Management, Springer, vol. 15(1), pages 3-27, March.
    2. Richard Layte & Anne Nolan, 2015. "Income-related inequity in the use of GP services by children: a comparison of Ireland and Scotland," The European Journal of Health Economics, Springer;Deutsche Gesellschaft für Gesundheitsökonomie (DGGÖ), vol. 16(5), pages 489-506, June.
    3. Hudson, Eibhlin & Nolan, Anne, 2015. "Public healthcare eligibility and the utilisation of GP services by older people in Ireland," The Journal of the Economics of Ageing, Elsevier, vol. 6(C), pages 24-43.
    4. Keegan, Conor & Brick, Aoife & García-Rodríguez, Abián & Hill, Leonie, 2022. "Projections of workforce requirements for public acute hospitals in Ireland, 2019–2035: a regional analysis based on the hippocrates model," Research Series, Economic and Social Research Institute (ESRI), number RS147.
    5. Humes, Harry & Barrett, Michelle & Walsh, Brendan, 2024. "Effects of new residential developments on local healthcare demand and workforce: evidence from primary and acute public hospital care in Ireland," Research Series, Economic and Social Research Institute (ESRI), number RS181.
    6. Cullinan, John & Cawley, John, 2017. "Parental misclassification of child overweight/obese status: The role of parental education and parental weight status," Economics & Human Biology, Elsevier, vol. 24(C), pages 92-103.
    7. Pymont, Carly & McNamee, Paul & Butterworth, Peter, 2018. "Out-of-pocket costs, primary care frequent attendance and sample selection: Estimates from a longitudinal cohort design," Health Policy, Elsevier, vol. 122(6), pages 652-659.
    8. Jatrana, Santosh & Crampton, Peter, 2021. "Do financial barriers to access to primary health care increase the risk of poor health? Longitudinal evidence from New Zealand," Social Science & Medicine, Elsevier, vol. 288(C).
    9. Layte, Richard & Nolan, Anne, 2013. "Income-Related Inequity in the Use of GP Services: A Comparison of Ireland and Scotland," Papers WP454, Economic and Social Research Institute (ESRI).
    10. Thomson, Michael, 2019. "Who had access to doctors before and after new universal capitated subsidies in New Zealand?," Health Policy, Elsevier, vol. 123(8), pages 756-764.
    11. Smith, Samantha & Walsh, Brendan & Wren, Maev-Ann & Barron, Steve & Morgenroth, Edgar & Eighan, James & Lyons, Seán, 2019. "Geographic profile of healthcare needs and non-acute healthcare supply in Ireland," Research Series, Economic and Social Research Institute (ESRI), number RS90.

    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. Richard Layte & Anne Nolan, 2015. "Eligibility for free GP care and the utilisation of GP services by children in Ireland," International Journal of Health Economics and Management, Springer, vol. 15(1), pages 3-27, March.
    2. Yuanyuan Ma & Anne Nolan, 2017. "Public Healthcare Entitlements and Healthcare Utilisation among the Older Population in Ireland," Health Economics, John Wiley & Sons, Ltd., vol. 26(11), pages 1412-1428, November.
    3. Nolan, Anne, 2011. "An extension in eligibility for free primary care and avoidable hospitalisations: A natural experiment," Social Science & Medicine, Elsevier, vol. 73(7), pages 978-985.
    4. Aoife Brick & Anne Nolan & Jacqueline O’Reilly & Samantha Smith, 2012. "Conflicting Financial Incentives in the Irish Health-Care System," The Economic and Social Review, Economic and Social Studies, vol. 43(2), pages 273-301.
    5. Hudson, Eibhlin & Nolan, Anne, 2015. "Public healthcare eligibility and the utilisation of GP services by older people in Ireland," The Journal of the Economics of Ageing, Elsevier, vol. 6(C), pages 24-43.
    6. Layte, Richard & Nolan, Anne, 2013. "Income-Related Inequity in the Use of GP Services: A Comparison of Ireland and Scotland," Papers WP454, Economic and Social Research Institute (ESRI).
    7. Nolan, Anne & Layte, Richard, 2017. "The impact of transitions in insurance coverage on GP visiting among children in Ireland," Social Science & Medicine, Elsevier, vol. 180(C), pages 94-100.
    8. Ma, Yuanyuan & Nolan, Anne & Smith, James P., 2020. "Free GP care and psychological health: Quasi-experimental evidence from Ireland," Journal of Health Economics, Elsevier, vol. 72(C).
    9. Wang, Chao & Li, Qing & Sweetman, Arthur & Hurley, Jeremiah, 2015. "Mandatory universal drug plan, access to health care and health: Evidence from Canada," Journal of Health Economics, Elsevier, vol. 44(C), pages 80-96.
    10. Walsh, Brendan & Nolan, Anne & Brick, Aoife & Keegan, Conor, 2019. "Did the expansion of free GP care impact demand for Emergency Department attendances? A difference-in-differences analysis," Social Science & Medicine, Elsevier, vol. 222(C), pages 101-111.
    11. Antonipillai, Valentina & Guindon, G. Emmanuel & Sweetman, Arthur & Baumann, Andrea & Wahoush, Olive & Schwartz, Lisa, 2021. "Associations of health services utilization by prescription drug coverage and immigration category in Ontario, Canada," Health Policy, Elsevier, vol. 125(10), pages 1311-1321.
    12. Connolly, Sheelah & Wren, Maev-Ann, 2016. "The 2011 proposal for Universal Health Insurance in Ireland: Potential implications for healthcare expenditure," Health Policy, Elsevier, vol. 120(7), pages 790-796.
    13. Devlin, Rose Anne & Sarma, Sisira & Zhang, Qi, 2011. "The role of supplemental coverage in a universal health insurance system: Some Canadian evidence," Health Policy, Elsevier, vol. 100(1), pages 81-90, April.
    14. Jatrana, Santosh & Crampton, Peter, 2021. "Do financial barriers to access to primary health care increase the risk of poor health? Longitudinal evidence from New Zealand," Social Science & Medicine, Elsevier, vol. 288(C).
    15. Lunn, Pete & Layte, Richard, 2008. "Sporting Lives: An Analysis of a Lifetime of Irish Sport," Research Series, Economic and Social Research Institute (ESRI), number RS2.
    16. Gorecki, Paul, 2016. "The Impact of Free GP Care on the Utilisation of GP Services in Ireland: An Evaluation of Different Approaches," Papers WP534, Economic and Social Research Institute (ESRI).
    17. Gorecki, Paul K. & Nolan, Anne & Brick, Aoife & Lyons, Seán, 2012. "Pharmaceuticals Delivery in Ireland. Getting a Bigger Bang for the Buck," Research Series, Economic and Social Research Institute (ESRI), number RS24.
    18. Richard Layte & Anne Nolan, 2015. "Income-related inequity in the use of GP services by children: a comparison of Ireland and Scotland," The European Journal of Health Economics, Springer;Deutsche Gesellschaft für Gesundheitsökonomie (DGGÖ), vol. 16(5), pages 489-506, June.
    19. Allin, Sara & Law, Michael R. & Laporte, Audrey, 2013. "How does complementary private prescription drug insurance coverage affect seniors’ use of publicly funded medications?," Health Policy, Elsevier, vol. 110(2), pages 147-155.
    20. Currie, Janet & Kurdyak, Paul & Zhang, Jonathan, 2024. "Socioeconomic status and access to mental health care: The case of psychiatric medications for children in Ontario Canada," Journal of Health Economics, Elsevier, vol. 93(C).

    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:eee:socmed:v:74:y:2012:i:10:p:1644-1651. 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: Catherine Liu (email available below). General contact details of provider: http://www.elsevier.com/wps/find/journaldescription.cws_home/315/description#description .

    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.