Horizontal Inequity in Access to Health Care in Four South American Cities

42 Pages Posted: 18 Sep 2009

See all articles by Ana Ines Balsa

Ana Ines Balsa

Universidad de Montevideo

Maximo Rossi

Departamento de Economía, dECON; Universidad de la Republica - Department of Economics

Patricia Triunfo

University of Uruguay

Date Written: September 16, 2009

Abstract

This paper analyzes and compares socioeconomic inequalities in the use of healthcare services by the elderly in four South-American cities: Buenos Aires (Argentina), Santiago (Chile), Montevideo (Uruguay) and San Pablo (Brazil). We use data from SABE, a survey on Health, Well-being and Aging administered in several Latin American cities in 2000. After having accounted for socioeconomic inequalities in healthcare needs, we find socioeconomic inequities favoring the rich in the use of preventive services (mammograms, pap tests, breast examinations, and prostate exams) in all of the studied cities. We also find inequities in the likelihood of having a medical visit in Santiago and Montevideo, and in some measures of quality of access in Santiago, Sao Paulo, and Buenos Aires. Santiago depicts the highest inequities in medical visits and Uruguay the worse indicators in mammograms and pap scans tests. For all cities, inequities in preventive services at least double inequities in other services. We do not find evidence of a trade-off between levels of access and equity in access to healthcare services. The decomposition of healthcare inequalities suggests that inequities within each health system (public or private) are more important than between systems.

Suggested Citation

Balsa, Ana Ines and Rossi, Maximo and Triunfo, Patricia, Horizontal Inequity in Access to Health Care in Four South American Cities (September 16, 2009). Available at SSRN: https://ssrn.com/abstract=1474425 or http://dx.doi.org/10.2139/ssrn.1474425

Ana Ines Balsa

Universidad de Montevideo ( email )

Prudencio de Pena 2440
Montevideo, CP 11600
Uruguay

HOME PAGE: http://www2.um.edu.uy/abalsa/

Maximo Rossi (Contact Author)

Departamento de Economía, dECON ( email )

Facultad de Ciencias Sociales
Jose E. Rodo 1854
Montevideo 11200, 11200
Uruguay
59824106449 (Phone)
59824106450 (Fax)

HOME PAGE: http://Http://www.decon.edu.uy/~mito

Universidad de la Republica - Department of Economics ( email )

Constituyente 1502 Piso 6º
Montevideo, 11200
Uruguay
+598 2 4106449 (Phone)
+598 2 4106450 (Fax)

HOME PAGE: http://decon.edu.uy/~mito/pagina

Patricia Triunfo

University of Uruguay ( email )

Facultad de Ciencias Sociales
Jose E. Rodo 1854
Montevideo 11200, 11200
Uruguay
+59 82 401 77 07/ (598 2) 409 (Phone)
+59 82 408 19 17 (Fax)

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