title: Decentralization and equity: public health expenditure in the municipalities of the Province of Buenos Aires.
abstract: In this paper we analyze the degree of equity in access to the public health care system in the Province of Buenos Aires (Argentina). Through a quantitative retrospective study, we analyze the inequalities in the distribution of the total public health expenditure per capita. This variable is used as a proxy for the ability of the inhabitants of each jurisdiction to access health care services. The results indicate the existence of large disparities in the levels of expenditure devoted to the population without health coverage. Moreover, the existence of greater health care needs (estimated using infant mortality rates and percentage of homes with basic needs unmet) does not translate into higher levels of public expenditure. Finally, we detect a positive association between the relative wealth of municipalities (measured by the gross geographic product per capita) and the public health expenditure per capita.
authors.affiliation: Bachelor in Economy. Phd in Economy. Assistant Professor of Public Finance, Departamento de Economía, Universidad Nacional del Sur, Argentina. argentinaflago@uns.edu.ar
authors.forename: Fernando Pablo
authors.initials: FP
authors.lastname: Lago
authors.affiliation: Bachelor in Economy. Phd in Economy. Assistant Professor del Consejo Nacional de Investigaciones Científicas y Técnicas (CONICET). Assistant Professor of Health Economics, Departamento de Economía, Universidad Nacional del Sur, Argentina.
authors.forename: Nebel Silvana
authors.initials: NS
authors.lastname: Moscoso
authors.affiliation: Bachelor in Economy. Doctoral fellow of the Consejo Nacional de Investigaciones Científicas y Técnicas (CONICET). Assistant Professor of StatisticsHealth, Departamento de Matemática, Universidad Nacional del Sur, Argentina.
authors.forename: María Eugenia
authors.initials: ME
authors.lastname: Elorza
authors.affiliation: Bachelor in Economy. Doctoral fellow of the Consejo Nacional de Investigaciones Científicas y Técnicas (CONICET). Ayudante de Cátedra de Investigaciones en Salud. Departamento de Ciencias de la Salud, Universidad Nacional del Sur, Argentina.
authors.forename: Nadia Vanina
authors.initials: NV
authors.lastname: Ripari
mesh_terms: D001118:Argentina; D005102:Health Expenditures; D006297:Health Services Accessibility / Q000191:economics* / Q000592:standards*; D006801:Humans; D011057:Politics; D011635:Public Health Administration; D012189:Retrospective Studies
keywords: Decentralization; Financial Resources in Health; Equity in Health; Equity in Access; Argentina