The present paper attempts to modify definition of catastrophic out-of-pocket health expenditure by characterising it based on consumption of necessities. In literature, catastrophic expenditure is defined as that level of OOP health expenditure which exceeds some fixed proportion of household income or household’s capacity to pay. In the present paper, catastrophic health expenditure is define...

This paper uses the quasi-experimental implementation of a non-contributory pension scheme in Yucatan, Mexico to evaluate the health care utilization and expenditure responses of the elderly to an exogenous unanticipated income shock. Using a difference-in-difference approach and data from a longitudinal aging survey we find evidence that non-contributory pensions encourages the use of formal h...

Background: One of the main goals of health systems is to protect people against financial risks associated with diseases that can be catastrophic for patients. In 2014, Health Sector Evolution Plan (HSEP) was implemented in Iran; one of the objectives of HSEP was to reduce out-of-pocket payments and provide more financial protection for people. Therefore, the present study aimed at exploring t...

BACKGROUND HIV disease itself is associated with increased healthcare utilization and healthcare expenditures. HIV-infected persons with lipodystrophy have been shown to have poor self-perceptions of health. We evaluated whether lipodystrophy in the HIV-infected population was associated with increased utilization of healthcare services and increased healthcare costs. OBJECTIVE To examine uti...