Effects of the General Social Security affiliation on the Pocket Expenditure on Household Health. Ecuador 2014.

Abstract

ABSTRACT

Introduction: Social security is based on the timely delivery of health services, avoiding the lack of protection and impoverishment of families that is directly associated with excessive health expenditures.

Objective: To estimate the effect that the General Social Security (SSG) affiliation has on Pocket Health Expenditure (GBS) in Ecuadorian households for the year 2014.

Methodology: The effect was estimated using the Propensity Score Matching method and using the Stata program, on a sample of 22,364 observations, of which 7,509 are treated - SSG affiliated households - and 14,855 are control - households without any affiliation - data taken from the Life Conditions survey conducted by the INEC for the year 2014. Health expenditures was used as result variable, and households in which at least the head of the household is affiliated to General Social Security was used as treatment variable.

Results: A positive effect was found between the condition of members of the SSG and the GBS of the households, the affiliate has a propensity to make higher private health expenses than the unaffiliated, increasing even more if the head of the household is male. For the two sexes, the similarity is only in the income covariate, however, when the head of the household is female, the significant covariates increase.

Conclusions: Members of the SSG show an increase in the GBS which would mean a lack of financial protection despite the monthly contributions made to social security.

Key words: health expenditures, public policy, social security.