An Assessment of Health-Care Expenditures Within and Across Racial and Ethnic Groups

• Published in: The American economic review Vol. 85; no. 2; pp. 127 - 131
• Main Authors: Rasell, Edith, Bernstein, Jared
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: English
• Published: United States American Economic Association 01.05.1995
• Subjects: Continental Population Groups; Econometrics; Economic theory; Employer provided health insurance; Ethnic Groups; Ethnicity; Expenditures; Families & family life; Group health insurance; Health care; Health care expenditures; Health Care Reform; Health expenditure; Health Expenditures - statistics & numerical data; Health insurance; Health technology assessment; Humans; Implications of Health and Welfare Reform for the Black Community; Income distribution; Income taxes; Insurance coverage; Insurance premiums; Insurance, Health; Medicaid; Minority & ethnic groups; Models, Theoretical; Payroll taxes; Race; Spending; Statistical analysis; Studies; Taxes; U.S.A; United States; United States; United States > US
• ISSN: 0002-8282; 1944-7981

While the high level and rapid growth of health expenditures are well recognized, an examination explores a less-well-investigated aspect of health-care financing: how health costs are distributed among families by income, race and ethnicity. The focus is on outlays for health care (out-of-pocket spending, the purchase of insurance premiums, and expenditures through the tax system), not on the quantity of health services received. The distributional effects of replacing premiums with tax-based financing are also examined. The unit of analysis is the nonelderly family (families with family reference persons below age 65) and under-65-year-old single individuals.