Comparing health service usage of migrant groups in Australia: Evidence from the household income and labour dynamics survey of Australia

Purpose

We explored differences in primary and secondary health care usage across migrants from different regions in Australia.

Design/methodology/approach

Data comes from the Household Income and Labour Dynamics of Australia survey from waves 9, 13, and 17 (2009, 2013, and 2017). Zero inflated Poisson regressions and non-linear decompositions were estimated.

Findings

Younger women from South Asia, Latin America and Eastern and Southern Europe and younger men from Eastern and Southern Europe had lower rates of GP visits compared to the host population. Older African men have higher rates of nights in hospital and younger Eastern and Southern European women, older women from the Rest of Asia, and younger African men and women have lower rates of nights in hospital compared to the host population

Originality

This is the first paper to investigate differences in primary and service usage amongst immigrants across the life course. Our results have important implications for planning of health service resources.

Practical implications

Migrants are a heterogenous group and health policy needs to consider these differences to ensure the effectiveness and efficiency of service provision.