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. 2023 Dec 9;33(6):994-1000.
doi: 10.1093/eurpub/ckad140.

Lifetime healthcare expenditures across socioeconomic groups in Sweden

Stephanie Fledsberg  1   2 , Mikael Svensson  1   3 , Naimi Johansson  1   4
Affiliations

Lifetime healthcare expenditures across socioeconomic groups in Sweden

Stephanie Fledsberg et al. Eur J Public Health. .

Abstract

Background: Individuals of lower socioeconomic status generally have higher healthcare expenditures than individuals of higher socioeconomic status. However, little is known about how expenditures are distributed across socioeconomic groups over a lifetime, once accounting for differences in life expectancy. This study describes how lifetime healthcare expenditures are distributed across age, sex and socioeconomic groups in Sweden while adjusting for differences in life expectancy.

Methods: Healthcare utilization from 2016 were linked to demographic and socioeconomic data for a random sample of individuals aged 20 and above in the four largest Swedish regions (n = 440 659). Mortality data were used to estimate income- and sex-specific survival rates. Expected lifetime healthcare expenditures were estimated by combining survival rates with mean healthcare expenditures over age, by sex, and income quintile.

Results: We find that expected lifetime healthcare expenditures are highest among the first (lowest) income quintile despite their evident lower life expectancy. Expected lifetime expenditures were 17.9% (16.8%) higher in the first income quintile compared to the fifth (highest) quintile for women (men). Individuals in the first income quintile had higher expected lifetime expenditures for all care categories except for primary care.

Conclusion: We conclude that despite a lower life expectancy, the quintile of the lowest socioeconomic status still had higher lifetime healthcare expenditures.

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Figures

Figure 1
Figure 1
Mean healthcare expenditures (€) over age, by care category and sex
Figure 2
Figure 2
Mean healthcare expenditures (€) over age, by income quintiles and sex
Figure 3
Figure 3
Survival curves over age, by income quintile and sex
Figure 4
Figure 4
Lifetime healthcare expenditures by care category and income quintile, using income- and sex-specific mortality rates
See this image and copyright information in PMC

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