Socioeconomic inequality of access to healthcare:: Does patients’ choice explain the gradient?Evidence from the English NHS

Giuseppe Moscelli; Luigi Siciliani; Nils Gutacker; Richard Andrew Cookson

Socioeconomic inequality of access to healthcare: Does patients’ choice explain the gradient?Evidence from the English NHS

Giuseppe Moscelli, Luigi Siciliani, Nils Gutacker, Richard Andrew Cookson

Research output: Working paper › Discussion paper

Abstract

Equity of access is a key policy objective in publicly-funded healthcare systems. Using data on patients undergoing non-emergency heart revascularization procedures in the English National Health Service, we find evidence of significant differences in waiting times within public hospitals between patients with different socioeconomic status (up to 35% difference between the most and least deprived population quintiles). We employ selection models to test whether such differences are explained by patients exercising choice over hospital or type of treatment. Selection bias due to choice has a limited effect on the gradient suggesting the presence of substantial inequities within the public system.

Original language	English
Place of Publication	York, UK
Publisher	Centre for Health Economics, University of York
Pages	1-43
Number of pages	43
Publication status	Published - Jun 2015

Publication series

Name	CHE Research Paper
Publisher	Centre for Health Economics, University of York
No.	112

Keywords

waiting times
inequalities
socioeconomic status
selection bias
choice

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CHERP112_socioeconomic_inequality_access_healthcareFinal published version, 2.84 MB

http://www.york.ac.uk/media/che/documents/papers/researchpapers/CHERP112_socioeconomic_inequality_access_healthcare.pdf

Cite this

Moscelli, G., Siciliani, L., Gutacker, N., & Cookson, R. A. (2015). Socioeconomic inequality of access to healthcare: Does patients’ choice explain the gradient?Evidence from the English NHS. (pp. 1-43). (CHE Research Paper; No. 112). Centre for Health Economics, University of York. http://www.york.ac.uk/media/che/documents/papers/researchpapers/CHERP112_socioeconomic_inequality_access_healthcare.pdf

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Moscelli, G , Siciliani, L , Gutacker, N & Cookson, RA 2015 'Socioeconomic inequality of access to healthcare: Does patients’ choice explain the gradient?Evidence from the English NHS' CHE Research Paper, no. 112, Centre for Health Economics, University of York, York, UK, pp. 1-43. <http://www.york.ac.uk/media/che/documents/papers/researchpapers/CHERP112_socioeconomic_inequality_access_healthcare.pdf>

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AU - Cookson, Richard Andrew

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