Equity in Health Care Across Five Nations: Summary Findings from an International Health Policy Survey

A common assumption is that access to care is more equitably distributed among income groups in countries that provide universal, publicly funded health insurance than in countries that do not. But does universal health coverage really eliminate disparities among income groups? Findings from The Commonwealth Fund 1998 International Health Policy Survey suggest that countries with universal coverage that require patient user fees and allow a substantial role for private insurance also experience inequities in access to care. This issue brief outlines major findings presented for the first time in “Health Insurance Markets and Income Inequality: Findings from an International Health Policy Survey,” published in the April 2000 issue of the journal Health Policy.The survey assessed disparities in access to health care, the financial burden of care, and perceived quality of care between people with above-average incomes and those with below-average incomes in five nations:Australia, Canada, Great Britain, New Zealand, and the United States.