Health service use and access
In 2006, the New South Wales Population Health Survey included questions to monitor access to, and satisfaction with, health services. To monitor the use of health services, respondents were asked: In the last 12 months, have you stayed at least one night in hospital, presented at an emergency department, or attended a community health centre or public dental service? To monitor private health insurance, respondents were asked: Apart from Medicare, are you covered by private health insurance? To monitor the cost of medication, respondents were asked: Do you purchase your prescription medicines using a health care card, seniors card, veterans card, or similar? In the last 12 months have you had a medical problem but avoided seeing a doctor because of the cost of medicine that may be prescribed? Have you ever not collected, stopped using, or cut down the dose of, a medicine prescribed by your doctor because of the cost? To monitor difficulties people experience in getting health care (that is, any health service provided by general practitioners and specialists, public and private hospitals and dental clinics, pharmacists, allied health services such as physiotherapy, and community health services), respondents were asked: Do you have any difficulties getting health care when you need it? Those who responded Yes were then asked: Please describe the difficulties you have.
Results
Health service use
In 2006, 71.0 per cent of adults did not attend any health service, 14.1 per cent were admitted to hospital for at least one night, 14.0 per cent presented to an emergency department, 7.3 per cent attended a community health centre, and 4.3 per cent attended a public dental service or hospital.
Private health insurance
In 2006, 54.6 per cent of adults were covered by private health insurance. There was no significant variation between males and females. A significantly lower proportion of adults aged 16-24 years (45.3 per cent) and 25-34 years (47.1 per cent) and 75 years and over (45.1 per cent), and a significantly higher proportion of adults aged 45-54 years (62.9 per cent) and 55-64 years (63.0 per cent), were covered by private health insurance, compared with the overall adult population.
A significantly higher proportion of adults in urban areas (58.2 per cent) than rural areas (46.2 per cent) were covered by private health insurance. A higher proportion of adults in the South Eastern Sydney & Illawarra (59.0 per cent) and Northern Sydney & Central Coast (68.7 per cent) Health Areas, and a lower proportion of adults in the North Coast (39.5 per cent) and Greater Southern (44.8 per cent) and Greater Western (44.3 per cent) Health Areas, were covered by private health insurance, compared with the overall adult population.
Coverage decreased significantly with socioeconomic disadvantage, from 73.5 per cent and 63.1 per cent in the 2 least disadvantaged quintiles to 43.3 per cent and 39.6 per cent in the 2 most disadvantaged quintiles.
Overall, there has been a significant increase in the proportion of adults covered by private health insurance between 1997 (42.0 per cent) and 2006 (54.6 per cent). This increase was significant in both males (42.7 per cent to 53.2 per cent) and females (41.4 per cent to 55.9 per cent).
Cost of medication and health care
In 2006, 35.8 per cent of adults used a concession card to purchase medication. A significantly higher proportion of females (38.0 per cent) than males (33.6 per cent) used a concession card to purchase medication. Among males, a significantly higher proportion of adults aged 65-74 years (80.3 per cent) and 75 years and over (90.4 per cent), and a significantly lower proportion of adults aged 25-34 years (16.5 per cent) and 35-44 years (19.5 per cent) and 45-54 years (20.4 per cent), used a concession card to purchase medication, compared with the overall adult male population. Among females, a significantly higher proportion of adults aged 65-74 years (85.8 per cent) and 75 years and over (88.6 per cent), and a significantly lower proportion of adults aged 25-34 years (24.9 per cent) and 35-44 years (21.2 per cent) and 45-54 years (21.5 per cent), used a concession card to purchase medication, compared with the overall adult female population. A significantly higher proportion of adults in rural areas (42.7 per cent) than urban areas (32.8 per cent) used a concession card to purchase medication. A higher proportion of adults in the Hunter & New England (41.3 per cent) and North Coast (50.0 per cent) and Greater Western (41.3 per cent) Health Areas, and a lower proportion of adults in the Sydney West (30.8 per cent) and Northern Sydney & Central Coast (31.0 per cent) Health Areas, used a concession card to purchase medication. Use of a concession card to purchase medications increased with socioeconomic disadvantage, from 23.3 per cent in the least disadvantaged quintile to 49.0 per cent in the most disadvantaged quintile.
In 2006, 7.9 per cent of adults avoided seeing a doctor due to the cost of medication. There was no significant variation between males and females. A significantly higher proportion of adults aged 35-44 years (10.8 per cent), and a significantly lower proportion of adults aged 55-64 years (5.6 per cent) and 65-74 years (2.6 per cent) and 75 years and over (1.6 per cent), avoided seeing a doctor due to the cost of medication. There was no significant variation between rural areas and urban areas; however, a higher proportion of adults in the North Coast Health Area (10.8 per cent) avoided seeing a doctor due to the cost of medication. A lower proportion of adults in the least disadvantaged quintile (4.8 per cent) avoided seeing a doctor due to the cost of medication, compared with the overall adult population.
In 2006, 10.1 per cent of adults limited the use of prescription medication because of cost. There was no significant variation between males and females. A significantly higher proportion of adults aged 25-34 years (14.6 per cent) and 35-44 years (12.9 per cent), and a significantly lower proportion of adults aged 65-74 years (3.4 per cent) and 75 years and over (1.9 per cent), limited the use of prescription medication because of cost. There was no significant variation between rural areas and urban areas; however, a lower proportion of adults in the Greater Southern Health Area (7.9 per cent) limited the use of prescription medication because of cost. A lower proportion of adults in the least disadvantaged quintile (7.1 per cent) limited the use of prescription medication because of cost, compared with the overall adult population.
Difficulties getting health care
In 2006, excluding those who did not need health care, 13.2 per cent of adults had difficulties getting health care. The main difficulties were: waiting time for an appointment with a general practitioner (36.3 per cent), difficulty in accessing specialists (14.3 per cent), cost of health services (10.7 per cent), waiting time for dental services (10.1 per cent), shortage of general practitioners in area (9.3 per cent), transport issues (8.8 per cent), quality of treatment (7.9 per cent), shortage of health services (7.8 per cent), and waiting time in emergency departments (7.4 per cent).
A significantly lower proportion of males (11.9 per cent) than females (14.6 per cent) had difficulties in getting health care. Among males, a significantly lower proportion of adults aged 16-24 years (4.4 per cent) and 75 years and over (8.0 per cent), and a significantly higher proportion of adults aged 45-54 years (16.7 per cent), had difficulties getting health care, compared with the overall adult male population. Among females, a significantly lower proportion of adults aged 16-24 years (7.7 per cent) and 75 years and over (6.6 per cent), and a significantly higher proportion of adults aged 35-44 years (18.8 per cent) and 45-54 years (18.5 per cent), had difficulties getting health care, compared with the overall adult female population.
A significantly higher proportion of adults in rural areas (21.9 per cent) than urban areas (9.5 per cent) had difficulties getting health care. A lower proportion of adults in the Sydney South West (9.9 per cent), South Eastern Sydney & Illawarra (9.3 per cent), Sydney West (9.1 per cent), and Northern Sydney & Central Coast (9.7 per cent) Health Areas, had difficulties getting health care. A higher proportion of residents in the Greater Western (22.3 per cent), Greater Southern (25.3 per cent), North Coast (20.1 per cent), and Hunter & New England (20.8 per cent) Health Areas, had difficulties getting health care.
Difficulties getting health care increased with socioeconomic disadvantage. A lower proportion of adults in the least disadvantaged quintile (5.9 per cent), and a higher proportion of adults in the second most disadvantaged quintile (19.9 per cent), had difficulties in getting health care, compared with the overall adult population.
There has been a significant increase in the proportion of adults having difficulties getting health care, from 9.9 per cent in 1997 to 13.2 per cent in 2006. This increase was significant in both males (8.8 per cent to 11.9 per cent) and females (11.0 per cent to 14.6 per cent).
Graphs
- Health services attended in last 12 months
- Private health insurance by age
- Private health insurance by socioeconomic disadvantage
- Private health insurance by health area
- Private health insurance by year
- Purchase medication using a concession card by age
- Purchase medication using a concession card by socioeconomic disadvantage
- Purchase medication using a concession card by health area
- Avoided seeing doctor due to cost of medicine by age
- Avoided seeing doctor due to cost of medicine by socioeconomic disadvantage
- Avoided seeing doctor due to cost of medicine by health area
- Limited use of prescription drugs because of cost by age
- Limited use of prescription drugs because of cost by socioeconomic disadvantage
- Limited use of prescription drugs because of cost by health area
- Difficulties getting health care when needing it by age
- Difficulties getting health care when needing it by socioeconomic disadvantage
- Difficulties getting health care when needing it by health area
- Difficulties getting health care when needing it by year
- Types of difficulties getting health care when needing it
| Source: | New South Wales Population Health Survey 2006 (HOIST). Centre for Epidemiology and Research, NSW Department of Health. |
| Print version: | Although this page can be printed directly from your web browser, a higher quality version is available as a PDF file that can be printed or viewed on screen. |
| Produced by: | Centre for Epidemiology and Research, Population Health Division, NSW Department of Health. |
| Last updated on: | 1 July 2007 |