Health Care Utilization of Canadian Snowbirds

Abstract

Older English-speaking Canadian seasonal migrants to Florida (N = 2046) were surveyed during the winter of 1986. They are users of two health care systems and are generally in good health. When they do need to use health care resources, however, they show a distinct preference for the Canadian system. There is a sensitivity to health concerns, especially among the older of the migrants. This sensitivity generates considerable precautionary behavior including pretravel visits to their Canadian family doctors, stocking up on drugs before the trip, and taking out health insurance for Canadians traveling abroad. The behavior is strategic in that it is both intentional and oriented to contingencies. Cost of health care may be a motivating factor because such strategic behavior is inversely related to income in this relatively affluent migrating population. The flock of Canadian snowbirds is not likely to place exorbitant demands on the U.S. health care system.

North American Research on Seasonal Migration

“…The length of the visit, however, had a definite limit. Migrants tended to stay for five months because they would lose their Canadian medicare benefits if they spent more than six months abroad each year (Tucker et al 1988 a;Marshall et al 1989). The high rate of home ownership and the geographical stability of their Florida destination seemed to foster integration into snowbird communities.…”

Adherence to osteoporosis pharmacotherapy is underestimated using days supply values in electronic pharmacy claims data

“…However, in Canada, it is estimated that over 400 000 seniors will leave the country during the winter months . These “snowbirds” are generally healthy seniors who routinely fill prescriptions prior to travelling for periods beyond the 100‐day maximum drug supply . Thus, removing duplicate records among these seniors will result in differential exposure misclassification, whereby potentially healthy and adherent individuals appear to be non‐adherent with extended (up to 90 days) gaps in use.…”

“…25 These "snowbirds" are generally healthy seniors who routinely fill prescriptions prior to travelling for periods beyond the 100-day maximum drug supply. 13,26 Thus, removing duplicate records among these seniors will result in differential exposure misclassification, whereby potentially healthy and adherent individuals appear to be non-adherent with extended (up to 90 days) gaps in use. Our analysis will therefore inform best practices, where it is common practice to only include a single prescription when duplicates are identified.…”

Residential relocation and regional redistribution of the elderly in the USA and Germany

“…On the one hand, the actual and prospective movement to Bayern suggest the same sort of rural retirement mobility found in the Ozark and Upper Great Lakes regions of the USA (Fuguitt & Beale 1993). On the other, in light of Germany's ties with (for instance) Spain in the European Union, one can easily envision a pattern of seasonal migration emerging much like that between Canada and the USA (Marshall, Longino, Tucker & Mullins 1989). From the perspective of conventionally collected demographic statistics, such a relocation does not exist because no change in 'permanent' residence occurs.…”