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Unmet healthcare needs in Ireland: Analysis using the EU-SILC survey
Sheelah Connolly1, Maev-Ann Wren1
1The Economic and Social Research Institute,Whitaker Square, Sir John Rogerson's Quay, Dublin 2, Ireland.
Insights
Nearly 4% of Irish adults experienced unmet healthcare needs, primarily due to cost and waiting lists. Lower income, poor health, and lack of insurance increased this risk, highlighting systemic inequalities in healthcare access.
Area of Science:
- Health Economics
- Public Health Policy
- Healthcare Access Research
Background:
- Healthcare access is a critical determinant of health outcomes.
- Socioeconomic factors and healthcare system design significantly influence service utilization.
- Understanding unmet healthcare needs is essential for equitable health system planning.
Purpose of the Study:
- To analyze the extent and causes of unmet healthcare needs in Ireland.
- To identify demographic and socioeconomic factors associated with unmet healthcare needs.
- To investigate the role of healthcare system factors (cost, waiting lists) in unmet needs.
Main Methods:
- Utilized data from the 2013 Survey of Income and Living Conditions (SILC).
- Employed statistical analysis to examine the relationship between socioeconomic status, health status, insurance coverage, and reported unmet healthcare needs.
- Categorized reasons for unmet needs into cost, waiting lists, and other factors.
Main Results:
- Almost 4% of participants reported an unmet need for medical care.
- Lower income groups, individuals with poorer health status, and those lacking free primary care or private insurance were more likely to experience unmet needs.
- Healthcare system factors, specifically cost and waiting lists, were the primary reasons cited for unmet needs.
- Those with public healthcare entitlement were more likely to report waiting lists as the cause of unmet need compared to cost.
Conclusions:
- Significant income-based inequalities exist in unmet healthcare needs, particularly for those without comprehensive insurance or free primary care.
- Healthcare system-induced barriers, including out-of-pocket costs (especially for primary care) and long waiting times (particularly in public hospitals), are major drivers of unmet needs.
- Policy interventions are needed to address cost and waiting list barriers to reduce socioeconomic disparities in healthcare access and improve overall population health in Ireland.
Abstract:
The analysis used the 2013 Survey of Income and Living Conditions to examine the extent and causes of unmet need for healthcare services in Ireland. The analysis found that almost four per cent of participants reported an unmet need for medical care. Overall, lower income groups, those with poorer health status and those without free primary care and/or private insurance were more likely to report an unmet healthcare need. The impact of income on the likelihood of reporting an unmet need was particularly strong for those without free primary care and/or private insurance, suggesting a role for the health system in eradicating income based inequalities in unmet need. Factors associated with the healthcare system - cost and waiting lists - accounted for the majority of unmet needs. Those with largely free public healthcare entitlement were more likely than all other eligibility categories to report that their unmet need was due to waiting lists (rather than cost). While not possible to explicitly examine in this analysis, it is probable that unmet need due to cost is picking up on the relatively high out-of-pocket payments for primary care for those who must pay for GP visits; while unmet need due to waiting is identifying the relatively long waiting times within the acute hospital sector for those within the public system.
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