Patterns of older Americans' health care utilization over time

R.J. Manski, J.F. Moeller, H. Chen, J. Schimmel, P.A. St. Clair and John Pepper

American Journal of Public Health, 2013, vol. 103, issue 7, 1314-1324

Abstract: Objectives. We analyzed correlates of older Americans' continuous and transitional health care utilization over 4 years. Methods. We analyzed data for civilian, noninstitutionalized US individuals older than 50 years from the 2006 and 2008 waves of the Health and Retirement Study. We estimated multinomial logistic models of persistent and intermittent use of physician, inpatient hospital, home health, and outpatient surgery over the 2004-2008 survey periods. Results. Individuals with worse or worsening health were more likely to persistently use medical care and transition into care and not transition out of care over time. Financial variables were less often significant and, when significant, were often in an unexpected direction. Conclusions. Older individuals' health and changes in health are more strongly correlated with persistence of and changes in care-seeking behavior over time than are financial status and changes in financial status. The more pronounced sensitivity to health status and changes in health are important considerations in insurance and retirement policy reforms. Copyright © 2012 by the American Public Health Association®.

Keywords: aged; ambulatory care; ambulatory surgery; article; economics; female; health care delivery; health service; health status; health survey; home care; hospitalization; human; income; insurance; longitudinal study; male; middle aged; patient attitude; statistical model; statistics; time; United States; utilization review; very elderly, Aged; Aged, 80 and over; Ambulatory Surgical Procedures; Delivery of Health Care; Female; Health Services; Health Status; Health Surveys; Home Care Services; Hospitalization; Humans; Income; Insurance Coverage; Logistic Models; Longitudinal Studies; Male; Middle Aged; Office Visits; Patient Acceptance of Health Care; Time Factors; United States (search for similar items in EconPapers)
Date: 2013
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Citations: View citations in EconPapers (1)

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Working Paper: Patterns of Older Americans' Health Care Utilization Over Time
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Persistent link: https://EconPapers.repec.org/RePEc:aph:ajpbhl:10.2105/ajph.2012.301124_1

DOI: 10.2105/AJPH.2012.301124

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