Socioeconomic determinants and health care utilization among elderly people living in Europe: Evidence from the Survey of Health, Ageing and Retirement

David Cantarero (), Marta Pascual-Sáez and Javier Lera Torres

No 1801, Working Papers. Collection B: Regional and sectoral economics from Universidade de Vigo, GEN - Governance and Economics research Network

Abstract: This paper examines health care utilization among elderly people in sixteen European countries using the last wave of the Survey of Health, Ageing and Retirement in Europe (SHARE). Negative Binominal regression is conducted to study the main driving factors behind health care utilization (visits to the General Practitioners, GP; Hospital Stays, HS). The empirical results suggest that age, gender, education level, self-assessed health, health limitations and status and other socioeconomic variables are the main driving factors. We also show that socioeconomic variables do not play the same role in every country. From a policy economic approach, we propose important information to the current debates both in the health economics and social welfare literature. Our findings are relevant and have several implications for policy purposes to enhance efficiency, equity and quality of health care that it can be provided.

Keywords: Aging; Discrete choice methods; Count Data Methods; Health; Health Care Utilization; SHARE; Europe. (search for similar items in EconPapers)
JEL-codes: I10 I18 (search for similar items in EconPapers)
Pages: 19 pages
Date: 2018-01
New Economics Papers: this item is included in nep-age, nep-eur and nep-hea
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Persistent link: https://EconPapers.repec.org/RePEc:gov:wpregi:1801

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