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The European Journal of Health Economics

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01-12-2012 | Original Paper

Health care usage among immigrants and native-born elderly populations in eleven European countries: results from SHARE

Authors: Aïda Solé-Auró, Montserrat Guillén, Eileen M. Crimmins

Published in: The European Journal of Health Economics | Issue 6/2012

Abstract

Differences in health care utilization of immigrants 50 years of age and older relative to the native-born populations in eleven European countries are investigated. Negative binomial and zero-inflated Poisson regression are used to examine differences between immigrants and native-borns in number of doctor visits, visits to general practitioners, and hospital stays using the 2004 Survey of Health, Ageing, and Retirement in Europe database. In the pooled European sample and in some individual countries, older immigrants use from 13 to 20% more health services than native-borns after demographic characteristics are controlled. After controlling for the need for health care, differences between immigrants and native-borns in the use of physicians, but not hospitals, are reduced by about half. These are not changed much with the incorporation of indicators of socioeconomic status and extra insurance coverage. Higher country-level relative expenditures on health, paying physicians a fee-for-service, and physician density are associated with higher usage of physician services among immigrants.

We refer to the number of visits to the doctor but we mean the expected number given the explanatory characteristics.

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Title: Health care usage among immigrants and native-born elderly populations in eleven European countries: results from SHARE
Authors: Aïda Solé-Auró
Montserrat Guillén
Eileen M. Crimmins
Publication date: 01-12-2012
Publisher: Springer-Verlag
Published in: The European Journal of Health Economics / Issue 6/2012
Print ISSN: 1618-7598
Electronic ISSN: 1618-7601
DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s10198-011-0327-x

Keynote webinar | Spotlight on medication adherence

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Health care usage among immigrants and native-born elderly populations in eleven European countries: results from SHARE

Abstract

Keynote webinar | Spotlight on medication adherence

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