Do Public Healthcare Programs Make Societies More Equal? Cross-Country Evidence on Subjective Wellbeing

Background: Universal health coverage (UHC) aims to provide quality healthcare services and safeguard the population from the financial burden of catastrophic health expenditure. Its primary objectives are to improve longevity and enhance overall quality of life. This study investigates the relation...

Full description

Saved in:
Bibliographic Details
Main Author: Dizon, Ryan Joseph R.
Format: text
Published: Archīum Ateneo 2023
Subjects:
Online Access:https://archium.ateneo.edu/economics-faculty-pubs/199
https://drive.google.com/file/d/1ufUpJgXzujr47zSpvLnl30hS9uRRhJ1i/view?usp=sharing
Tags: Add Tag
No Tags, Be the first to tag this record!
Institution: Ateneo De Manila University
id ph-ateneo-arc.economics-faculty-pubs-1199
record_format eprints
spelling ph-ateneo-arc.economics-faculty-pubs-11992024-03-04T07:26:51Z Do Public Healthcare Programs Make Societies More Equal? Cross-Country Evidence on Subjective Wellbeing Dizon, Ryan Joseph R. Background: Universal health coverage (UHC) aims to provide quality healthcare services and safeguard the population from the financial burden of catastrophic health expenditure. Its primary objectives are to improve longevity and enhance overall quality of life. This study investigates the relationship between UHC and the inequality in subjective wellbeing (SWB) and explores whether public health programs can reduce social inequality. By employing SWB inequality as a measure, we go beyond the conventional income-centric approach to assess social inequality. Methods: The SWB data used in this study are derived from the repeated cross-sectional survey obtained from the European Values Study (EVS) and the World Values Survey (WVS). We adopt an observational study design and employ statistical techniques, such as ordinary least squares, Oaxaca–Blinder decomposition, and the recentered influence function (RIF). The RIF, in particular, allows us to characterise the entire distribution of SWB, rather than focusing on a single point. Results: UHC programs are negatively associated with SWB inequality (-0.070, significant at 5%). The negative association is observed at the 5th, 50th, and 75th percentiles of the SWB distribution, whilst the association becomes positive at the 95th percentile. UHC programs do not contribute to the SWB inequality gap. Conclusions: UHC programs exhibit an inequality-reduction property when the inequality is not severe or when countries are more equal. However, their effectiveness diminishes in the presence of extreme inequality. Health programs do not contribute to the existing SWB inequality gap between developed and developing countries. Strengthening the two dimensions of the UHC program (i.e., service coverage and financial protection) will ensure better health and wellbeing for all, and potentially foster a more equal and inclusive society. 2023-12-01T08:00:00Z text https://archium.ateneo.edu/economics-faculty-pubs/199 https://drive.google.com/file/d/1ufUpJgXzujr47zSpvLnl30hS9uRRhJ1i/view?usp=sharing Economics Department Faculty Publications Archīum Ateneo Public health Subjective wellbeing inequality Universal health coverage Economics Health Economics Public Health Social and Behavioral Sciences
institution Ateneo De Manila University
building Ateneo De Manila University Library
continent Asia
country Philippines
Philippines
content_provider Ateneo De Manila University Library
collection archium.Ateneo Institutional Repository
topic Public health
Subjective wellbeing inequality
Universal health coverage
Economics
Health Economics
Public Health
Social and Behavioral Sciences
spellingShingle Public health
Subjective wellbeing inequality
Universal health coverage
Economics
Health Economics
Public Health
Social and Behavioral Sciences
Dizon, Ryan Joseph R.
Do Public Healthcare Programs Make Societies More Equal? Cross-Country Evidence on Subjective Wellbeing
description Background: Universal health coverage (UHC) aims to provide quality healthcare services and safeguard the population from the financial burden of catastrophic health expenditure. Its primary objectives are to improve longevity and enhance overall quality of life. This study investigates the relationship between UHC and the inequality in subjective wellbeing (SWB) and explores whether public health programs can reduce social inequality. By employing SWB inequality as a measure, we go beyond the conventional income-centric approach to assess social inequality. Methods: The SWB data used in this study are derived from the repeated cross-sectional survey obtained from the European Values Study (EVS) and the World Values Survey (WVS). We adopt an observational study design and employ statistical techniques, such as ordinary least squares, Oaxaca–Blinder decomposition, and the recentered influence function (RIF). The RIF, in particular, allows us to characterise the entire distribution of SWB, rather than focusing on a single point. Results: UHC programs are negatively associated with SWB inequality (-0.070, significant at 5%). The negative association is observed at the 5th, 50th, and 75th percentiles of the SWB distribution, whilst the association becomes positive at the 95th percentile. UHC programs do not contribute to the SWB inequality gap. Conclusions: UHC programs exhibit an inequality-reduction property when the inequality is not severe or when countries are more equal. However, their effectiveness diminishes in the presence of extreme inequality. Health programs do not contribute to the existing SWB inequality gap between developed and developing countries. Strengthening the two dimensions of the UHC program (i.e., service coverage and financial protection) will ensure better health and wellbeing for all, and potentially foster a more equal and inclusive society.
format text
author Dizon, Ryan Joseph R.
author_facet Dizon, Ryan Joseph R.
author_sort Dizon, Ryan Joseph R.
title Do Public Healthcare Programs Make Societies More Equal? Cross-Country Evidence on Subjective Wellbeing
title_short Do Public Healthcare Programs Make Societies More Equal? Cross-Country Evidence on Subjective Wellbeing
title_full Do Public Healthcare Programs Make Societies More Equal? Cross-Country Evidence on Subjective Wellbeing
title_fullStr Do Public Healthcare Programs Make Societies More Equal? Cross-Country Evidence on Subjective Wellbeing
title_full_unstemmed Do Public Healthcare Programs Make Societies More Equal? Cross-Country Evidence on Subjective Wellbeing
title_sort do public healthcare programs make societies more equal? cross-country evidence on subjective wellbeing
publisher Archīum Ateneo
publishDate 2023
url https://archium.ateneo.edu/economics-faculty-pubs/199
https://drive.google.com/file/d/1ufUpJgXzujr47zSpvLnl30hS9uRRhJ1i/view?usp=sharing
_version_ 1792664317910319104