The Article in Brief
Universal Health Insurance and Equity in Primary Care and Specialist Office Visits: A Population-Based Study
Richard H. Glazier , and colleagues
Background Does universal coverage of physician services reduce socioeconomic disparities in health care? If so, to what degree? Researchers in Canada, which has universal coverage of necessary physician services, examined equity in the use of those services.
What This Study Found Universal health insurance appears to reduce income inequities but not education-related disparities in physician services. Those with higher levels of education are more likely to see specialists, to be frequent visitors to the doctor, and to bypass primary care to reach specialists compared with those with lower levels of education.
Implications
- One explanation for the study findings may be that patients with higher levels of education have better health knowledge, which leads to greater demand for care and better ability to navigate the health care system.
- The authors suggest that policy makers consider the advantage of providing universal physician coverage as a means to reduce income inequities, although this strategy alone is unlikely to eliminate educational disparities in use of physician services.