Aim
Determine the effect of public and private health spending on health outcomes in Latin American and Caribbean countries during the period 2000-2019.
Methods
A health production function is used, where life expectancy at birth and the infant mortality rate were considered as indicators of health outcomes. With data for a sample of 33 countries for the period 2000-2019, the panel data econometric technique was applied.
Results
According to estimates, a 1% increase in public spending on health is associated with a 0.019% increase in life expectancy. Similarly, a 1% increase in private health spending increases life expectancy by 0.023%. In the case of the second health result, a 1% increase in public spending on health reduces the infant mortality rate by -0.168%. However, the effect of private health spending on infant mortality is not statistically significant.
Conclusions
The results provide evidence of the effect of public health spending on reducing infant mortality and increasing life expectancy, while private health spending has a positive effect only on the latter. The findings have important political implications for the countries of the region in the face of a post-pandemic scenario of limited fiscal space.
2023-10-12 17:46:19
#Health #spending #health #outcomes #Latin #America #Caribbean
