Report summary - The Direct Economic Burden of Socioeconomic Health Inequalities in Canada: An Analysis of Health Care Costs by Income Level

摘要

465-7735; Email: publications@hc-sc.gc.caCanadian research indicates that individuals with lower incomes, less education or lower occupational skill levels tend to be less healthy than those who enjoy greater advantages in these areas. ^{Footnote 1 Footnote 2 Footnote 3} This uneven distribution of health across different socioeconomic status ( SES ) groups is referred to as "socioeconomic inequality in health."Evidence of the economic cost of health inequalities helps us understand the benefits of reducing these inequalities. However, the data needed to generate such evidence is difficult to obtain. A lack of Canadian data linking health costs and socioeconomic characteristics means that assessment of the degree to which health costs are associated with socioeconomic inequalities at the national level is limited.