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Equality of Opportunity in Health Care: an Axiomatic Framework in a Policy Perspective

Author

Listed:
  • ABATEMARCO, Antonio

    (CELPE - Centre of Labour Economics and Economic Policy, University of Salerno - Italy)

  • BERALDO, Sergio

    (CELPE - Centre of Labour Economics and Economic Policy, University of Salerno - Italy)

  • STROFFOLINI, Francesca

    (CELPE - Centre of Labour Economics and Economic Policy, University of Salerno - Italy)

Abstract

We offer a new framework for defining and measuring equality of opportunity in health care, where (i) the chance of access to health care is disentangled from the utilization of health services, and (ii) both the rate of access and inequality of access to health care are accounted for the measurement of disparities in health opportunities. The latter are conceived as inversely related to the cost of a (bundle of) health treatment(s) of appropriate quality which an individual would have to pay (out-of-pocket) if the need for the health treatment emerges. In the ex-ante perspective we adopt, what is salient is the distribution of costs across cells, where each cell is defined by a set of characteristics determining access barriers to care (e.g., geographic location, assistance needs). On these premises, a general index forthe measurement of equality of access to health care is then developed and resource-conditional policy suggestions are deducted. A simple application based on real data shows that the methodology we provide can be easily applied.

Suggested Citation

  • ABATEMARCO, Antonio & BERALDO, Sergio & STROFFOLINI, Francesca, 2019. "Equality of Opportunity in Health Care: an Axiomatic Framework in a Policy Perspective," CELPE Discussion Papers 161, CELPE - CEnter for Labor and Political Economics, University of Salerno, Italy.
    • Handle: RePEc:sal:celpdp:0161
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    References listed on IDEAS

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    1. Paolo Li Donni & Vito Peragine & Giuseppe Pignataro, 2014. "Ex‐Ante And Ex‐Post Measurement Of Equality Of Opportunity In Health: A Normative Decomposition," Health Economics, John Wiley & Sons, Ltd., vol. 23(2), pages 182-198, February.
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    3. Fleurbaey, Marc & Schokkaert, Erik, 2009. "Unfair inequalities in health and health care," Journal of Health Economics, Elsevier, vol. 28(1), pages 73-90, January.
    4. Grossman, Michael, 1972. "On the Concept of Health Capital and the Demand for Health," Journal of Political Economy, University of Chicago Press, vol. 80(2), pages 223-255, March-Apr.
    5. Amartya Sen, 2002. "Why health equity?," Health Economics, John Wiley & Sons, Ltd., vol. 11(8), pages 659-666, December.
    6. Atkinson, Anthony B., 1970. "On the measurement of inequality," Journal of Economic Theory, Elsevier, vol. 2(3), pages 244-263, September.
    7. Eddy van Doorslaer & Cristina Masseria, 2004. "Income-Related Inequality in the Use of Medical Care in 21 OECD Countries," OECD Health Working Papers 14, OECD Publishing.
    Full references (including those not matched with items on IDEAS)

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    More about this item

    Keywords

    Health care; Equality of opportunity; Access costs;
    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

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