[An analysis of use of the health services by financing system: Brazil 1998-2008]

This article analyzes the use of health services from the perspective of financing based on PNAD/IBGE micro-data related to 1998, 2003 and 2008. Among the main results, the following can be highlighted: 1) The Unified Health System (SUS) continues to be the major financing agent of most consultations and hospitalizations in Brazil; its participation increased significantly between 1998 and 2003 and remained almost stable between 2003 and 2008; 2) SUS participation in financing the use of the health services has been predominant in all Brazilian regions, especially in the North and North-East, which feature the most precarious socio-economic and health conditions; 3) SUS is the major financing agent of the two extreme levels of complexity of health care: primary care and high complexity services. 4) In spite of a significant rise in utilization rates of SUS services for consultations and hospitalizations, great inequities can still be observed between the population that exclusively uses SUS and that which has private health insurance; 5) There has been an increase in the use of SUS health services by part of the population with private health insurance plans.