The Healthcare Costs in the Aging Based on Data from the Urban Health Equity Assessment and Response Tool Project in Tehran, Iran (UHEART-2)

Introduction: The urban life and the problems of megalopolises have caused familiesto fail paying attention to the aging. According to the viewpoint from the experts inhealthcare fields; the rising population of the aging in the country will expose the relatedsocial organizations and institutions with complex difficulties in an imminentoutlook. The present study has dealt with this topic by means of the data derived fromthe project “Urban Health Equity Assessment and Response Tool (Urban HEART-2)”which has been implemented in the Municipality of Tehran in 2011. This study is anapplied type and its data has been gathered by a cross-sectional technique. In order tocollect information in 22 districts and 368 neighborhoods in Tehran, data were collectedby using a multi-stage sampling technique. The total sample size included1’117’845 people and statistical analyses were done on 15’030 old participants. Similarly,the needed data in this study in non- old group were examined in 102’355 people.Likewise, the related data to healthcare costs and the needed data for the calculationof catastrophic costs were extracted from both of old and non- old groups (<60years). In this study, the mean healthcare costs of diseases was explored in both groupsof the aging and the ones under the age of 60. The catastrophic healthcare costs werecalculated for the two studied groups by means of the method confirmed by the WorldHealth Organization (WHO).Results: The findings from this research show that the old age rate in Tehran is higherin compared tothis rate throughout the country. In a statistical survey conducted onhealthcare cost index, a significant difference with a confidence interval (99%) wasobserved in two age groups under 60 years of age (non- old people) and over 60 yearsof age (aging). A review on hospitalization costs, diagnostic services cost, medicalexamination and transportation costs for medical services in both groups of the agingand those under the age of 60 indicated that a significant difference was seen at aconfidence level of 99% while 12.9% of the families with old members might incurcatastrophic healthcare costs. At the same time by exploring in catastrophic healthcarecosts in both groups of the aging and those under the age of 60 a significant statisticaldifference was seen among both studied groups.Conclusion: The Iranian healthcare system is exposed to challenge the high- rising ofsuch costs like other medical systems. The results of this study indicates that thehealthcare costs and catastrophic healthcare expenses are at high level in the familieswith old members in Tehran. The rising catastrophic costs in the aging may be due tomany reasons such as high percentages of personal payment and inadequate coverageby insurance. It seems that the supporting policies and the exemptions from the paymentof healthcare costs should be employed to reduce the percentage of exposing thefamilies to catastrophic healthcare costs for the aging as a specific population group.

Keywords:

Aging , Healthcare Costs , Catastrophic Healthcare Costs