Comparing and decomposing differences in preventive and hospital care: USA versus Taiwan

Abstract

As the USA expands health insurance coverage, comparing utilization of healthcare services with countries like Taiwan that already have universal coverage can highlight problematic areas of each system. The universal coverage plan of Taiwan is the newest among developed countries, and it is known for readily providing access to care at low costs. However, Taiwan experiences problems on the supply side, such as inadequate compensation for providers, especially in the area of preventive care. We compare the use of preventive, hospital, and emergency care between the USA and Taiwan. The rate of preventive care use is much higher in the USA than in Taiwan, whereas the use of hospital and emergency care is about the same. Results of our decomposition analysis suggest that higher levels of education and income, along with inferior health status in the USA, are significant factors, each explaining between 7% and 15% of the gap in preventive care use. Our analysis suggests that, in addition to universal coverage, proper remuneration schemes, education levels, and cultural attitudes towards health care are important factors that influence the use of preventive care.