Regional Variation of Health Care Expenditures in Austria

Over the last decades, the notion of widespread differences in health care expenditures across regions has been firmly established and critically reviewed in the literature in terms of their causes and consequences. In Austria, too, health care expenditures show clear regional disparities. In 2016, there was regional variation in health care expenditures at the district level which ranged from 50% below to 30% above the average of 1,844.15€ per inhabitant. When looking at the factors associated with the level of health care expenditures per inhabitant, patient characteristics, especially demographic and socioeconomic factors, can explain some of the regional disparities within the expenditures of the Austrian health care system. This is in line with the theory which states that in universal and publicly financed health care systems, such as the Austrian, regional disparities will arise through the demand side. The analyses also find a positive relationship between health care expenditures of different health care sectors and specialities, namely between expenditures of the inpatient and the outpatient sector. The results have implications for evidence-based health policies regarding inequalities as a good health care system should deliver quality health services to all people when and where they need them.