Type of Insurance and Use of Preventive Health Services Among Older Adults in Mexico

Objective: The main purpose of this article was to assess the differences between Seguro Popular (SP) and employer-based health insurance in the use of preventive services, including screening tests for diabetes, cholesterol, hypertension, cervical cancer, and prostate cancer among older adults at more than a decade of health care reform in Mexico. Method: Logistic regression models were used with data from the Mexican Health and Nutrition Survey, 2012. Results: After adjusting for other factors influencing preventive service utilization, SP enrollees were more likely to use screening tests for diabetes, cholesterol, hypertension, and cervical cancer than the uninsured; however, those in employment-based and private insurances had higher odds of using preventive care for most of these services, except Pap smears. Discussion: Despite all the evidence that suggests that SP has increased access to health insurance for the poor, inequalities in health care access and utilization still exist in Mexico.