Geographic and socioeconomic variation in healthcare: Evidence from migration

Arbeitspapier

We study variation in healthcare utilization across geographies and socioeconomic groups in Hungary. Exploiting migration across geographic regions and relying on high-quality administrative data on healthcare use and income we show that the role of place-specific supply factors is heterogeneous across types of care and across socioeconomic groups. Overall, place-specific factors account for 68% of the variation in outpatient spending and 35% of the variation in drug spending, but almost none of the variation in inpatient spending. Place effects explain four-fifth of outpatient spending variation for non-employed working-age individuals, but less than two-fifth for individuals with above-median wage incomes. There is a positive association between place effects and outpatient capacity, especially for low-income individuals. These results suggest that access to healthcare varies especially for low-income people even in a context with universal coverage.

Object Details

• Language: Englisch

References and Relationships

• Bibliographic citation: Series: KRTK-KTI Working Papers ; No. KRTK-KTI WP - 2023/18

Classification and Topics

• Classification: Wirtschaft ; Analysis of Health Care Markets ; Health and Inequality ; Single Equation Models; Single Variables: Panel Data Models; Spatio-temporal Models
• Subject: healthcare utilization ; healthcare supply ; regional variation ; socioeconomic status

Contributors, Places and Time

• Event: Geistige Schöpfung
• (who): Elek, Petér S. ; Győrfi, Anita ; Kungl, Nóra ; Prinz, Daniel
• Event: Veröffentlichung
• (who): Hungarian Academy of Sciences, Institute of Economics, Centre for Economic and Regional Studies
• (where): Budapest
• (when): 2023

Further information

• Handle: http://hdl.handle.net/10419/282239
• Last update: 10.03.2025, 11:44 AM CET