Equity in Swedish health care reconsidered: New results based on the finite mixture model

TY - JOUR

T1 - Equity in Swedish health care reconsidered

T2 - New results based on the finite mixture model

AU - Gerdtham, Ulf G.

AU - Trivedi, Pravin K.

PY - 2001/1/1

Y1 - 2001/1/1

N2 - This paper reconsiders the equity issue in Swedish health care utilization previously analysed by Gerdtham (Health Econ 1997; 6: 303-319) within the framework of the standard two-part model. Departing from the user/non-user distinction, we use the more flexible framework of the finite mixture model that distinguishes between frequent/infrequent users. Our results indicate that the support for the inequity hypothesis reported by Gerdtham is sensitive to model specification and the way standard errors of coefficients are estimated. The new framework offers an alternative perspective on the magnitude of the income-related difference in health care utilization.

AB - This paper reconsiders the equity issue in Swedish health care utilization previously analysed by Gerdtham (Health Econ 1997; 6: 303-319) within the framework of the standard two-part model. Departing from the user/non-user distinction, we use the more flexible framework of the finite mixture model that distinguishes between frequent/infrequent users. Our results indicate that the support for the inequity hypothesis reported by Gerdtham is sensitive to model specification and the way standard errors of coefficients are estimated. The new framework offers an alternative perspective on the magnitude of the income-related difference in health care utilization.

KW - Count data

KW - Equity

KW - Finite mixture models

KW - Health care

KW - Latent class models

UR - http://www.scopus.com/inward/record.url?scp=0034825286&partnerID=8YFLogxK

U2 - 10.1002/hec.634

DO - 10.1002/hec.634

M3 - Article

C2 - 11550296

AN - SCOPUS:0034825286

VL - 10

SP - 565

EP - 572

JO - Health Economics

JF - Health Economics

SN - 1099-1050

IS - 6

ER -