The Divergence of Inequality in Healthcare Utilization Between Poor- and Rich-Medical Resource Regions: Evidence from the Middle-Aged and Older Adults in China

Ya’nan Fang (), Liping Fu (), Yanqing Xu () and Yongqing Dong
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Ya’nan Fang: Tianjin Administration Institute
Liping Fu: Tianjin University
Yanqing Xu: Hainan University

Social Indicators Research: An International and Interdisciplinary Journal for Quality-of-Life Measurement, 2024, vol. 172, issue 1, No 15, 347-369

Abstract: Abstract The healthcare utilization inequality among middle-aged and older adults has been a serious concern shared in the aging process. Successful policy implementation regarding the supply of medical resources and the targeted welfare is an important means to alleviate the healthcare utilization inequalities. However, the effectiveness of the current efforts remains unclear. This study employed self-organizing map and concentration index to explore inequalities in healthcare utilization between age subgroups in similar healthcare settings. The results suggest that utilization inequalities in rich-medical resource regions are not necessarily smaller than those in poor-medical resource regions, which the inpatient and preventive care utilization support the idea. And inequalities of healthcare utilization in rich-medical resource regions show age-lag compared with that in poor-medical resource regions, which indicates a higher level of accessibility to rich medical resources. But rich medical resources still fail to better protect the adults aged 70 and above. The economy, education, and health status, as key contributing factors to the unequal utilization of healthcare, may exacerbate their contribution to inequality in rich-medical resource regions. So a rich supply of healthcare does not necessarily have a one-way positive impact on alleviating inequality in the healthcare utilization. It needs to be combined with other factors to better alleviate inequality. Welfare policy with targeted groups needs to be wary of whether it will lead to greater inequalities. It also called for popularizing free seminar, comprehensive outpatient health management, and serious illness insurance.

Keywords: Healthcare utilization; Socioeconomic inequality; Age groups; Poor-medical resource regions; Rich-medical resource regions (search for similar items in EconPapers)
Date: 2024
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DOI: 10.1007/s11205-023-03286-4

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