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Equity in healthcare utilization in Canada’s publicly funded health system: 2000–2014

Author

Listed:
  • Laura Hirello

    (Dalhousie University)

  • Mohammad Habibullah Pulok

    (Dalhousie University)

  • Mohammad Hajizadeh

    (Dalhousie University)

Abstract

Equity in healthcare utilization is a globally accepted measurement of health system performance. In Canada, equity is included as a policy goal in the Federal health legislation that governs healthcare systems. This study used ten cycles of the Statistics Canada Canadian Community Health Survey (CCHS, n = 664,548) to examine the trends in income-related inequities in healthcare utilization in Canada from 2000 to 2014. The horizontal inequity (HI) index was used to quantify inequity in healthcare utilization for general practitioner (GP) visits, specialist physician (SP) visits and hospital admissions (HA) nationally, in urban and rural areas, and for all provinces. Nationally, GP and SP visits show pro-rich inequity, while HA demonstrates pro-poor inequity. This pattern is consistent in the provincial and urban and rural areas results. Trend analysis suggested that inequity in GP visits became more pro-poor in New Brunswick, but more pro-rich in Prince Edward Island and Quebec. Despite the inclusion of equity as a main policy goal, this study demonstrated that inequity in healthcare utilization remains a persistent issue in the Canadian healthcare system.

Suggested Citation

  • Laura Hirello & Mohammad Habibullah Pulok & Mohammad Hajizadeh, 2022. "Equity in healthcare utilization in Canada’s publicly funded health system: 2000–2014," The European Journal of Health Economics, Springer;Deutsche Gesellschaft für Gesundheitsökonomie (DGGÖ), vol. 23(9), pages 1519-1533, December.
    • Handle: RePEc:spr:eujhec:v:23:y:2022:i:9:d:10.1007_s10198-022-01441-1
    DOI: 10.1007/s10198-022-01441-1
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    References listed on IDEAS

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    1. Mohammad Habibullah Pulok & Kees Gool & Mohammad Hajizadeh & Sara Allin & Jane Hall, 2020. "Measuring horizontal inequity in healthcare utilisation: a review of methodological developments and debates," The European Journal of Health Economics, Springer;Deutsche Gesellschaft für Gesundheitsökonomie (DGGÖ), vol. 21(2), pages 171-180, March.
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    Cited by:

    1. Hajizadeh, Mohammad & Pandey, Sujita & Pulok, Mohammad Habibullah, 2023. "Decomposition of socioeconomic inequalities in catastrophic out-of-pocket expenditure for healthcare in Canada," Health Policy, Elsevier, vol. 127(C), pages 51-59.
    2. Hajizadeh, Mohammad & Keays, Daniel, 2023. "Ten years after the 2015 Canada Health Transfer reform: A persistent equity concern of insufficient risk-equalization," Health Policy, Elsevier, vol. 129(C).

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