title: Healthcare system and the wealth-health gradient: a comparative study of older populations in six countries.
abstract: The present study provides a comparative analysis of the association between wealth and health in six healthcare systems (Sweden, the United Kingdom, Germany, the Czech Republic, Israel, the United States). National samples of individuals fifty years and over reveal considerable cross-country variations in health outcomes. In all six countries wealth and health are positively associated. The findings also show that state-based healthcare systems produce better population health outcomes than private-based healthcare systems. The results indicate that in five out of the six countries studied, the wealth-health gradients were remarkably similar, despite significant variations in healthcare system type. Only in the United States was the association between wealth and health substantially different from, and much greater than that in the other five countries. The findings suggest that private-based healthcare system in the U.S. is likely to promote stronger positive associations between wealth and health.
authors.affiliation: Tel-Aviv University, Faculty of Social Sciences, Labor Studies Department, P.O.B. 39040, Tel-Aviv 69978, Israel. Electronic address: dinamask@post.tau.ac.il.
authors.forename: Dina
authors.initials: D
authors.lastname: Maskileyson
mesh_terms: D017677:Age Distribution; D000368:Aged; D000369:Aged, 80 and over; D003695:Delivery of Health Care / Q000706:statistics & numerical data*; D005060:Europe; D006304:Health Status; D054624:Health Status Disparities; D006306:Health Surveys; D006801:Humans; D007182:Income / Q000706:statistics & numerical data*; D008875:Middle Aged; D017678:Sex Distribution; D012959:Socioeconomic Factors; D013222:State Medicine / Q000706:statistics & numerical data*; D014481:United States
keywords: Cross-national comparative analysis; Health inequality; Healthcare systems; Older population; Physical health; Wealth–health gradient