Countries: Australia, Canada, New Zealand, United Kingdom, and United States
Survey Organization: Louis Harris and Associates, Inc.
Field Dates: May 20–June 12, 1998
Sample: Nationally representative sample of adults age 18 and older
Sample Sizes: 1,001 in Australia; 1,006 in Canada; 999 in New Zealand; 1,043 in United Kingdom; 1,010 in United States
Interview Method: Telephone
A common assumption is that access to care is more equitably distributed among income groups in countries that provide universal, publicly funded health insurance than in countries that do not. But findings from this survey of five English-speaking nations suggest that countries with universal coverage that require patient user fees and allow a substantial role for private insurance also experience inequities in access to care.
To view the survey questions, download the attachment posted on the right. To read analyses of the surveys, see the Fund publications under Related Resources, on the right, or see C. Schoen, K. Davis, C. DesRoches et al., Health Insurance Markets and Income Inequality: Findings from an International Health Policy Survey, Health Policy March 2000 51(2):67–85.