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Access regulation and utilization of healthcare services
Zugangsregulierung und die Nutzung medizinischer Versorgungsdienste
[working paper]
Corporate Editor
Universität Mannheim, Mannheimer Zentrum für Europäische Sozialforschung (MZES)
Abstract "Regulating patients' access to healthcare has been used in several countries as a way of controlling patients' consumption levels. In some countries, provider choice is directly limited through legal regulations such as gatekeeping, whereas in other countries patients' behavior is primarily governe... view more
"Regulating patients' access to healthcare has been used in several countries as a way of controlling patients' consumption levels. In some countries, provider choice is directly limited through legal regulations such as gatekeeping, whereas in other countries patients' behavior is primarily governed by financial incentives like co-payments to doctor visits. However, empirical studies, mostly conducted in the United States, do not provide a clear answer whether institutional access regulations actually accomplish a reduction of used health services. The objective of this paper is to assess the impact of access regulations on healthcare utilization in a cross-national framework comparing eleven European countries. While access restrictions are assumed to have an effect on the overall level of utilization, they can also have an impact on the equity of utilization between different socio-economic groups. Our analyses combine institutional indicators on the country level and number of doctor visits on the micro-level from the first wave of SHARE. The results show that access regulations and especially gatekeeping systems are associated with a lower level of overall service usage. Gatekeeping systems also reduce inequity in specialist visits across groups with different levels of education. Contrary to theoretical expectations but in line with earlier studies cost sharing could not be related to inequity patterns across income groups." (author's abstract)... view less
Keywords
health care delivery system; regulation; health policy; justice; Europe; income; social indicators; international comparison; health care; effectiveness; health care services; costs; entrance requirements
Classification
Health Policy
Method
empirical; quantitative empirical
Document language
English
Publication Year
2008
City
Mannheim
Page/Pages
36 p.
Series
Arbeitspapiere / Mannheimer Zentrum für Europäische Sozialforschung, 113
Licence
Deposit Licence - No Redistribution, No Modifications
Data providerThis metadata entry was indexed by the Special Subject Collection Social Sciences, USB Cologne