Income-, education- and gender-related inequalities in out-of-pocket health-care payments for 65+ patients - a systematic review
<p>Abstract</p> <p>Background</p> <p>In all OECD countries, there is a trend to increasing patients' copayments in order to balance rising overall health-care costs. This systematic review focuses on inequalities concerning the amount of out-of-pocket payments (OOP...
| Main Authors: | , , , , , |
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| Format: | Article |
| Language: | English |
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BMC
2010-08-01
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| Series: | International Journal for Equity in Health |
| Online Access: | http://www.equityhealthj.com/content/9/1/20 |
| _version_ | 1818541934353842176 |
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| author | Corrieri Sandro Heider Dirk Matschinger Herbert Lehnert Thomas Raum Elke König Hans-Helmut |
| author_facet | Corrieri Sandro Heider Dirk Matschinger Herbert Lehnert Thomas Raum Elke König Hans-Helmut |
| author_sort | Corrieri Sandro |
| collection | DOAJ |
| description | <p>Abstract</p> <p>Background</p> <p>In all OECD countries, there is a trend to increasing patients' copayments in order to balance rising overall health-care costs. This systematic review focuses on inequalities concerning the amount of out-of-pocket payments (OOPP) associated with income, education or gender in the Elderly aged 65+.</p> <p>Methods</p> <p>Based on an online search (PubMed), 29 studies providing information on OOPP of 65+ beneficiaries in relation to income, education and gender were reviewed.</p> <p>Results</p> <p>Low-income individuals pay the highest OOPP in relation to their earnings. Prescription drugs account for the biggest share. A lower educational level is associated with higher OOPP for prescription drugs and a higher probability of insufficient insurance protection. Generally, women face higher OOPP due to their lower income and lower labour participation rate, as well as less employer-sponsored health-care.</p> <p>Conclusions</p> <p>While most studies found educational and gender inequalities to be associated with income, there might also be effects induced solely by education; for example, an unhealthy lifestyle leading to higher payments for lower-educated people, or exclusively gender-induced effects, like sex-specific illnesses. Based on the considered studies, an explanation for inequalities in OOPP by these factors remains ambiguous.</p> |
| first_indexed | 2024-12-11T22:15:37Z |
| format | Article |
| id | doaj.art-b5961a55296e4151a2c1ac0f0262f93a |
| institution | Directory Open Access Journal |
| issn | 1475-9276 |
| language | English |
| last_indexed | 2024-12-11T22:15:37Z |
| publishDate | 2010-08-01 |
| publisher | BMC |
| record_format | Article |
| series | International Journal for Equity in Health |
| spelling | doaj.art-b5961a55296e4151a2c1ac0f0262f93a2022-12-22T00:48:37ZengBMCInternational Journal for Equity in Health1475-92762010-08-01912010.1186/1475-9276-9-20Income-, education- and gender-related inequalities in out-of-pocket health-care payments for 65+ patients - a systematic reviewCorrieri SandroHeider DirkMatschinger HerbertLehnert ThomasRaum ElkeKönig Hans-Helmut<p>Abstract</p> <p>Background</p> <p>In all OECD countries, there is a trend to increasing patients' copayments in order to balance rising overall health-care costs. This systematic review focuses on inequalities concerning the amount of out-of-pocket payments (OOPP) associated with income, education or gender in the Elderly aged 65+.</p> <p>Methods</p> <p>Based on an online search (PubMed), 29 studies providing information on OOPP of 65+ beneficiaries in relation to income, education and gender were reviewed.</p> <p>Results</p> <p>Low-income individuals pay the highest OOPP in relation to their earnings. Prescription drugs account for the biggest share. A lower educational level is associated with higher OOPP for prescription drugs and a higher probability of insufficient insurance protection. Generally, women face higher OOPP due to their lower income and lower labour participation rate, as well as less employer-sponsored health-care.</p> <p>Conclusions</p> <p>While most studies found educational and gender inequalities to be associated with income, there might also be effects induced solely by education; for example, an unhealthy lifestyle leading to higher payments for lower-educated people, or exclusively gender-induced effects, like sex-specific illnesses. Based on the considered studies, an explanation for inequalities in OOPP by these factors remains ambiguous.</p>http://www.equityhealthj.com/content/9/1/20 |
| spellingShingle | Corrieri Sandro Heider Dirk Matschinger Herbert Lehnert Thomas Raum Elke König Hans-Helmut Income-, education- and gender-related inequalities in out-of-pocket health-care payments for 65+ patients - a systematic review International Journal for Equity in Health |
| title | Income-, education- and gender-related inequalities in out-of-pocket health-care payments for 65+ patients - a systematic review |
| title_full | Income-, education- and gender-related inequalities in out-of-pocket health-care payments for 65+ patients - a systematic review |
| title_fullStr | Income-, education- and gender-related inequalities in out-of-pocket health-care payments for 65+ patients - a systematic review |
| title_full_unstemmed | Income-, education- and gender-related inequalities in out-of-pocket health-care payments for 65+ patients - a systematic review |
| title_short | Income-, education- and gender-related inequalities in out-of-pocket health-care payments for 65+ patients - a systematic review |
| title_sort | income education and gender related inequalities in out of pocket health care payments for 65 patients a systematic review |
| url | http://www.equityhealthj.com/content/9/1/20 |
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