The determinants of hospital utilization under a universal public insurance program in Canada

This study employs the individual as the unit of analysis to examine the relative importance of medical need, sociodemographic and economic factors in determining the use or non-use of hospital care and the volume of service consumed by those who experienced an episode of hospitalization during the study period. The data were derived from the Canada Health Survey which is a stratified, multistaged sample of the entire population. The results of the discriminant and weighted regression analyses indicate that the use or non-use of hospital care and the volume of service consumed are largely determined by medical need and not by income. The findings are supportive of the view that the national health insurance scheme in Canada has resulted in a more equitable distribution of hospital care.