Catastrophic health expenditures and its determinants among households in Tehran in 2011, Urban HEART-2 study

Growing in health care costs lead to increasing concern about the economic impact of health costs on the family facing the disease. The aim of this study was to investigate factors affecting the probability of catastrophic expenditures exposure among households in Tehran. The main goal of research was understanding the factors affecting the probability of catastrophic expenditures exposure among households in Tehran using Econometrics Logit model. The study considered all the areas of the Tehran city. The data were gathered with Urban Health Equity Assessment and Response Tool (Urban HEART) has been used in the research. In the year 2011 about 11 percent of people in Tehran have been faced to catastrophic health costs. The results of Econometrics models show that households with the number of members under 5 years or over 65 years, unemployed or less educated head, or households with a chronic patient and without insurance supports are more likely to face with catastrophic health care costs. This study showed that catastrophic health care costs of the various groups and households had significant difference, of course, clearly, with the performance of the health system transformation project, changes have taken place in this important indicator and factors affecting it, that requires a separate study and research