The impact of income on private patients’ access to GP services in Ireland

Abstract

To examine the extent to which proximity to the income threshold for free GP care results in significant differences in GP visiting. Approximately 30% of the Irish population receives free GP care (medical card patients), while the remaining 70% pays in full (private patients). Medical card eligibility exerts a significant influence on GP visiting, but how do GP visiting rates differ among private patients on differing incomes, and has the differential in visiting among private patients changed over time? Using micro-data from three nationally representative surveys of the Irish population undertaken in 1987, 1995 and 2001, multivariate models of GP utilization are estimated. There is little evidence that proximity to the income threshold results in significant differences in GP visiting. The most significant difference is between medical card and private patients, rather than between private patients on differing incomes. There is also little evidence that the differential in GP visiting between private patients on different incomes changed over time. While recent commentary has focused on the plight of individuals just above the income threshold for free GP care, these results suggest that the key difference in GP visiting is between those with, and without, eligibility for free care. If private patients are prevented from accessing GP care due to cost, this is as much an issue for those at the top of the income distribution as for those at the bottom.