This study investigates equity in access to health care in Switzerland over time, using
nationwide representative survey data from 1982, 1992, 1997 and 2002. Both simple
quintile distributions and concentration indices are used to assess horizontal equity, i.e.
the extent to which adults in equal need for medical care appear to have equal rates of
medical care utilization. Looking at each of the four survey years separately the results
indicate that by and large, there is little or no inequity in use except with respect to
specialist visits which are clearly pro rich distributed as in most other OECD countries.
We neither find much significant variation over time despite the fact that the share of
health care has grown from close to 8% to more than 11% over this period and that a
major reform of the health care system has taken place in 1996