Aziz Rezapour, Farbod Ebadifard Azar, Negar Yusef Zadeh, Fatemeh Hasanpour, Hossein Bagheri Faradonbeh, Saeideh Ansari Nosrati, Zahra Asemaneh , Mohammad Hossein Ghafoori,
Volume 9, Issue 2 (7-2015)
Abstract
Background and Aim: Receiving and using health care services is called
health services uitilization. There are many socio-economic factors including
income, culture, age and education affecting the utilization of the services. This
survey aimed to study socio-economic determinants of health utilization in Tehran.
Materials and Methods: This was a cross-sectional, population based health
survey done in year 2013. The sample was 792 households living in Tehran. Data
was collected by WHO (households) questionnaire, and analyzed using logistic
model and stata12.
Results: Among the study variables, households' income, presence of a person
with chronic disease, education of the head of the household, and presence of
person older than 60 and younger than 14 in households, had a significant
statistical relationship with utilization. Insurance coverage had a vague and weak
effect on the utilization of health services. Moreover about 23 percent of the
households were not under insurance coverage.
Conclusion: According to the announced policies by the supreme leader of the
Islamic Republic of Iran to the Ministry of Health and Medical Education and by
cconsidering the main focus of these policies on the universal insurance coverage,
households financial security and reform of the payment system identifying
households that utilize more health care services than any others because of any
socio-economic reasons is a considerable step for providing financial security for
vulnerable households and reforming health care system at the national level.
Aziz Rezapour, Ali Sarabi Asiabar, Amir Ali Ebadi Fardazar, Saeid Bagheri , Negar Yusefzadeh, Alireza Mazdaki, Sadigheh Asadi, Mohammad Hossein Ghafoori ,
Volume 11, Issue 1 (5-2017)
Abstract
Background and Aim: With the assumption that health is as one of the luxury goods, therefore making efforts in reducing health spending and inflation in this section will be ineffective.
But if health is an essential service, then in the national level for better redistribution of the resources and financial protection of the households against the health expenditures will be needed. The main objective of this study was determination of income impact of health care expenditures in Tehran household in years 2011-2012.
Materials and Methods: This study was a population based survey. The instrument of data gathering was a "WHO questionnaire" which was integrated by interview with an acquainted person in each one of the 792 families who live in Tehran. The least ordinary squares, Granger causality test, Breusch-Pagan-Godfery and White heteroskedasticity test were used for data analysis. Eviews 8 software was used for running the tests.
Results: The results showed that heath is a cause for increasing income but the converse is not true. Otherwise, Health with income elasticity equal to 0.25 is an essential service, and is not perceived as luxury goods. Moreover results represented that income is not a good variable for rationalizing the variation of health expenditures.
Conclusion: Health was an essential good, and although income changes affect the expenditures of health care, but the sensitivity is not high and recommended that health policy-makers should in adoption policies such as tariff increases do a comprehensive survey because prices increase are borne by the consumers.
