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ObjectivesTo examine how unmet healthcare needs and the exposure to the pandemic impacted self-reported health (SRH) among individuals aged 50 and above.MethodsWe use data from two waves of the Survey of Health, Ageing and Retirement in Europe (SHARE) Corona Survey collected in 2020 and 2021 in 27 European countries and Israel (N = 42,854). Three dimensions of barriers to healthcare access were investigated: healthcare forgone, postponed, and denied. Mixed-effects logistic regression analysis was employed to explore SRH deterioration during the pandemic.ResultsFindings indicate that unmet healthcare needs decreased throughout the pandemic but significantly contributed to the worsening of SRH among older adults. Mild or severe exposure to the pandemic heightened the likelihood of reporting deteriorated SRH. Additionally, the pandemic disproportionately affected females, the oldest-old, and those living alone or facing economic vulnerability.ConclusionTo mitigate the adverse effects on the health status of older adults, policymakers are strongly advised to prioritize addressing the healthcare needs of those who have been disproportionately affected by the pandemic.

Objectives: This study examines the inequality between people with and without disabilities regarding unmet healthcare needs and preventable hospitalization.Methods: We used the Korea Health Panel of 2016–2018; the final analytical observations were 43,512, including 6.95% of persons with disabilities. We examined the differences in contributors to the two dependent variables and decomposed the observed differences into explained and unexplained components using the Oaxaca-Blinder approach.Results: Unmet healthcare needs and preventable hospitalizations were 5.6% p (15.36% vs. 9.76%) and 0.68% p (1.82% vs. 0.61%), respectively, higher in people with disabilities than in those without, of which 48% and 35% were due to characteristics that the individual variables cannot explain. Decomposition of the distributional effect showed that sex, age, and chronic disease significantly increased disparities for unmet healthcare needs and preventable hospitalization. Socioeconomic factors such as income level and Medical aid significantly increased the disabled–non-disabled disparities for unmet healthcare needs.Conclusion: Socioeconomic conditions increased the disparities, but around 35%–48% of the disparities in unmet healthcare needs and preventable hospitalization were due to unexplained factors, such as environmental barriers.

Objectives: To examine how unmet healthcare needs and the exposure to the pandemic impacted self-reported health (SRH) among individuals aged 50 and above., Methods: We use data from two waves of the Survey of Health, Ageing and Retirement in Europe (SHARE) Corona Survey collected in 2020 and 2021 in 27 European countries and Israel ( N = 42,854). Three dimensions of barriers to healthcare access were investigated: healthcare forgone, postponed, and denied. Mixed-effects logistic regression analysis was employed to explore SRH deterioration during the pandemic., Results: Findings indicate that unmet healthcare needs decreased throughout the pandemic but significantly contributed to the worsening of SRH among older adults. Mild or severe exposure to the pandemic heightened the likelihood of reporting deteriorated SRH. Additionally, the pandemic disproportionately affected females, the oldest-old, and those living alone or facing economic vulnerability., Conclusion: To mitigate the adverse effects on the health status of older adults, policymakers are strongly advised to prioritize addressing the healthcare needs of those who have been disproportionately affected by the pandemic., Competing Interests: The authors declare that they do not have any conflicts of interest., (Copyright © 2024 Smolić, Blaževski and Fabijančić.)

Objectives: This study examines the inequality between people with and without disabilities regarding unmet healthcare needs and preventable hospitalization. Methods: We used the Korea Health Panel of 2016-2018; the final analytical observations were 43,512, including 6.95% of persons with disabilities. We examined the differences in contributors to the two dependent variables and decomposed the observed differences into explained and unexplained components using the Oaxaca-Blinder approach. Results: Unmet healthcare needs and preventable hospitalizations were 5.6% p (15.36% vs. 9.76%) and 0.68% p (1.82% vs. 0.61%), respectively, higher in people with disabilities than in those without, of which 48% and 35% were due to characteristics that the individual variables cannot explain. Decomposition of the distributional effect showed that sex, age, and chronic disease significantly increased disparities for unmet healthcare needs and preventable hospitalization. Socioeconomic factors such as income level and Medical aid significantly increased the disabled-non-disabled disparities for unmet healthcare needs. Conclusion: Socioeconomic conditions increased the disparities, but around 35%-48% of the disparities in unmet healthcare needs and preventable hospitalization were due to unexplained factors, such as environmental barriers., Competing Interests: The authors declare that they do not have any conflicts of interest., (Copyright © 2023 Kim and Jeon.)