Selection of private or public hospital care: examining the care-seeking behaviour of patients with private health insurance
Article
Article Title | Selection of private or public hospital care: examining the care-seeking behaviour of patients with private health insurance |
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ERA Journal ID | 13444 |
Article Category | Article |
Authors | Rana, Rezwanul Hasan (Author), Alam, Khorshed (Author) and Gow, Jeff (Author) |
Journal Title | BMC Health Services Research |
Journal Citation | 20, pp. 1-17 |
Article Number | 380 |
Number of Pages | 17 |
Year | 2020 |
Publisher | BioMed Central Ltd. |
Place of Publication | United Kingdom |
ISSN | 1472-6963 |
Digital Object Identifier (DOI) | https://doi.org/10.1186/s12913-020-05253-y |
Web Address (URL) | https://bmchealthservres.biomedcentral.com/articles/10.1186/s12913-020-05253-y |
Abstract | Background: This study aimed to examine the healthcare-seeking (hospital, primary and preventive care) and healthcare utilisation behaviour of patients with private health insurance (PHI) in Australia. It also aimed to examine the socioeconomic, demographic and lifestyle factors that influence the choice of hospital care in Australia. Method: A logistic regression model with repeated measure t-test and Pearson’s Chi-square test were used to identify the factors that affect the choice of care. Data from waves 9 (2009) and 13 (2013) of the nationally-representative Household, Income and Labour Dynamics in Australia (HILDA) survey were used in the analysis. Results: Patients with PHI had a higher number of hospital nights’ stay despite having a lower number of hospital admissions than those without private cover. Significant disparities were identified in preventive and specialist care use between patients with cover and without cover. No significant variations were observed in healthcare utilisation for PHI patients before and after dropping PHI. One in four patients chose to use public hospitals despite holding PHI cover. Moreover, those insured and from lower socioeconomic backgrounds and those who were younger and without long-term health conditions showed a higher probability of selecting public rather than private care. Conclusions: It is evident that PHI cover encourages people to use private care. However, a considerable number of PHI patients are using public care, even though eligible for private care may indicate consumer information asymmetry. |
Keywords | Australia; Care-seeking; Healthcare use; Hospitals; HILDA |
ANZSRC Field of Research 2020 | 429999. Other health sciences not elsewhere classified |
380108. Health economics | |
Byline Affiliations | School of Commerce |
Institution of Origin | University of Southern Queensland |
https://research.usq.edu.au/item/q5xxy/selection-of-private-or-public-hospital-care-examining-the-care-seeking-behaviour-of-patients-with-private-health-insurance
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