Curing over-use by prescribing fees: an evaluation of the effect of user fees' implementation on healthcare use in the Czech Republic.
In 2008, the Czech Republic instituted a new policy that requires most patients to pay a small fee for some inpatient and outpatient healthcare services. Using the Survey of Health Aging and Retirement in Europe, this article examines the changes in healthcare utilization of Czechs 50 years and older following the new fee requirement by constructing difference-in-differences regression models focusing on four outcome measures: any visits to primary care physician, any hospitalization, number of visits to the primary care physician and number of nights hospitalized. For this population, I find that the likelihood of having any primary care visit decreased after the policy was instituted. The likelihood of reporting any hospitalization was not significantly changed. The predicted number of primary care visits per person declined, but the predicted number of nights spent in a hospital did not. I find only mixed evidence of greater effect of the user fees on some subpopulations compared with others. Those 65 or older reduced their use more than those between 50 and 64, and so did those who consider their health to be good, and the less educated.
Department of Sociology, University of Michigan and Department of Health Management and Policy, University of Michigan Department of Sociology, University of Michigan and Department of Health Management and Policy, University of Michigan luciekal@umich.edu.
Lucie
L
Kalousova
D000368:Aged; D018153:Czech Republic; D018588:Fee-for-Service Plans; D006297:Health Services Accessibility / Q000191:economics*; D006306:Health Surveys; D006801:Humans; D008137:Longitudinal Studies; D008875:Middle Aged; D010342:Patient Acceptance of Health Care; D011320:Primary Health Care / Q000191:economics / Q000706:statistics & numerical data*
Czech Republic; User fee; access; inequality; primary care