title: Income Inequities in Health Care Utilization among Adults Aged 50 and Older.
abstract: Equitable access to and utilization of health services is a primary goal for many health care systems, particularly in countries with universal publicly funded systems. Despite concerns regarding potentially adverse implications of the 1990s' health care policy and other reforms, whether and how income inequalities in service utilization changed remains unclear. This study addressed the impact of income on physician and hospital utilization from 1992-2002 among adults aged 50 and older in British Columbia. Those with lower incomes were found less likely to access general practitioner and specialist services but more likely to access hospital services. Income-related disparities in physician care increased over time; hospital care declined. Volume of GP and hospital care was inversely associated with income; these differences increased regarding GP services only. Findings of declines in hospital-care access, accompanied by increasing income-related disparities in physician-services access, show that inequities are increasing within Canada's health care system.
authors.affiliation: Department of Sociology,University of Victoria.
authors.forename: Margaret J
authors.initials: MJ
authors.lastname: Penning
authors.affiliation: Centre on Aging,University of Victoria.
authors.forename: Chi
authors.initials: C
authors.lastname: Zheng
mesh_terms: D000368:Aged; D000369:Aged, 80 and over; D001955:British Columbia; D015331:Cohort Studies; D058006:General Practice / Q000706:statistics & numerical data; D006296:Health Services / Q000706:statistics & numerical data; D006297:Health Services Accessibility; D006304:Health Status; D054625:Healthcare Disparities; D006760:Hospitalization / Q000706:statistics & numerical data; D006801:Humans; D008875:Middle Aged; D009313:National Health Programs / Q000706:statistics & numerical data; D012189:Retrospective Studies; D012959:Socioeconomic Factors
keywords: administrative data; aging; données de gestion; equity; health care reform; hospital utilization; physician utilization; réforme de soins de santé; utilisation de hôpitaux; utilisation des médecins; vieillissment; équité