Type of Insurance and Use of Preventive Health Services Among Older Adults in Mexico

Abstract

Objectives The main purpose of this paper was to assess the differences between Seguro Popular (SP) and employer-based health insurance in the use of preventive services, including screening tests for diabetes, cholesterol, hypertension, cervical cancer and prostate cancer among older adults at more than a decade of health care reform in Mexico. Methods Logistic regression models were used with data from the Mexican Health and Nutrition Survey 2012. Results After adjusting for other factors influencing preventive service utilization, SP enrollees were more likely to use screening tests for diabetes, cholesterol, hypertension and cervical cancer than the uninsured; however, those in employment-based and private insurances had higher odds of using preventive care for most of these services, except Pap smears. Discussion Despite all the evidence that suggests that Seguro Popular has increased access to health insurance for the poor, inequalities in healthcare access still exist in Mexico.

Preventive health services and physical activity improve health-related quality of life in Mexican older adults

“…Self-reported information about screening conditions has previously been used within the Mexican context to measure PHS. 12…”

“…[9][10][11] However, older adults, and the general population, tend to seek healthcare services to treat diseases, instead of looking for health promotion or preventive care services. 12 In Mexico, health sector offers health care services as well as preventive health services (PHS) to its insured population, through institutions like the Mexican Institute of Social Security (Instituto Mexicano del Seguro Social, IMSS), at its sports facilities and clinical settings. 13 Since 2014, Mexican health sector has implemented initiatives to encourage health promotion practices through availability and utilization of PHS, such as immunizations and health education sessions, including oral health, and activities to increase physical activity (PA) and promote a balanced diet to improve the well-being of population.…”

Dyslipidemia in Mexico, a Call for Action

“…In addition, screening programs are dissimilar between health-care systems. In many instances, random capillary cholesterol measurements are used, instead of the recommended fasting lipid profile 30 . Furthermore, a large proportion of the individuals with abnormal lipid levels is not included in treatment programs.…”

Assessing geriatric capacity building needs in public hospitals in Mexico

“…For instance, Seguro Popular, the new social insurance programme started in 2002, provides free or low cost health insurance to the entire Mexican population (Azuara & Marinescu, ). Seguro Popular has increased healthcare utilisation of preventive care services among low‐income older people, particularly screening for chronic conditions such as hypertension, diabetes and cancer (Rivera‐Hernandez & Galarraga, ); however, disparities in preventive services continue among these individuals (Rivera‐Hernandez & Galarraga, ). The greater use of preventive care is associated with increased demand for health care by older people (Salinas, ).…”

“…These include increased numbers of bachelors prepared graduates, shifts in retirement patterns, task sharing and health worker reforms that affect seniority and benefits (DeMaria, Campero, Vidler, & Walker, ; Squires, ; Squires & Juárez, ; Walker et al, ). These professional factors combined with the twentieth century emphasis on hospital construction and acute care services (Hafner & Shiffman, ), the shortage of nurses and physicians (Aguila et al, ), inequities in access to health care (Rivera‐Hernandez & Galarraga, ), and the persistent challenges of primary care delivery in the country (Berlan & Shiffman, ; Dussault & Franceschini ; Knaul et al, ) mean that no point of care is well prepared to manage the specific care needs of older people.…”