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The Article in Brief
Relationships of Multimorbidity and Income With Hospital Admissions in 3 Health Care Systems
Stewart W. Mercer , and colleagues
Background This study looks at the relationships between income, hospital admissions, and multimorbidity (having two or more chronic conditions) in three countries with differing health care systems: Scotland, where a public healthcare system provides universal coverage; China, which does not provide universal health coverage and patients usually pay out-of-pocket; and Hong Kong, which has a dual-track system of both public and private health care.
What This Study Found Higher levels of multimorbidity are related to higher hospital admissions in all three settings. In Scotland, poorer patients have more hospital admissions, while China shows the opposite: those with lower incomes have lower odds of hospitalization. In Hong Kong, poorer people are more likely to be admitted to public hospitals, but less likely to be admitted to private ones.
Implications
- These findings offer insights into how health care systems might be made more equitable and effective.
- Strategies to improve equitable health care should consider the impact of socioeconomic status on the use of health care resources, particularly among populations with high rates of multimorbidity.