Determinants of household health spending in Mexico

In Mexico, out-of-pocket and catastrophic spending are persistent across the income distribution spectrum, and affiliation with health institutions does not safeguard individuals against such possibilities. This study estimates Tobit models toanalyze the determinants of out-of-pocket and catastrophi...

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Detalles Bibliográficos
Autores: Sáenz Vela, Hada Melissa, Guzmán Giraldo, Ángela Melissa
Tipo de recurso: artículo
Estado:Versión publicada
Fecha de publicación:2021
País:México
Institución:UNIVERSIDAD NACIONAL AUTÓNOMA DE MÉXICO
Repositorio:Problemas del Desarrollo. Revista Latinoamericana de Economía
Idioma:español
inglés
OAI Identifier:oai:ojs.pkp.sfu.ca:article/69644
Acceso en línea:https://www.probdes.iiec.unam.mx/index.php/pde/article/view/69644
Access Level:acceso abierto
Palabra clave:health expenditure
income distribution
public services
disease prevention
gasto en salud
distribución del ingreso
servicios públicos
prevención de enfermedades
Descripción
Sumario:In Mexico, out-of-pocket and catastrophic spending are persistent across the income distribution spectrum, and affiliation with health institutions does not safeguard individuals against such possibilities. This study estimates Tobit models toanalyze the determinants of out-of-pocket and catastrophic health expenditures, and finds that regional, individual, and household characteristics cause heterogeneity inhealth spending behaviors. The data suggest that the effective use of public services reduces, albeit insufficiently, the probability of incurring excessive expenditures. Public policies should focus on health promotion and disease prevention, as well as on reducing the gaps in the quality of public health services.