Disability and Healthcare Utilization: Does the type of disability matter?

Abstract

Existing literature confirms the presence of inequality between abled and disabled persons. This study contributes to the body of knowledge by going a step further to conclude that even if resources and other factors are equally distributed between abled and disabled persons, just being in a state of disability reduces healthcare utilization. However, this conclusion differs across the types of disability. The study investigates the effect on healthcare utilization of the types of disability, within the theoretical framework of the Capability Approach. The study uses data from the seventh round of the Ghana Living Standards Survey (GLSS 7) and employs the estimation method of Propensity Score Matching (PSM). The findings are that there is inequality in the resources and conversion factors needed to utilize healthcare. After matching these background characteristics and making sure that all the types of providers are available, disability reduces healthcare utilization by 12.4%. This result differs across the types of disabilities. The average treatment effect of sight, physical, and emotional disabilities on healthcare utilization decreased by 2.9%, 0.7%, and 4.7% respectively. However, the average treatment effect increases by 12.3%, 24.5%, and 4.5% for persons with hearing, speech, and intellectual disabilities respectively, at a 5% significant level. After addressing the existence of inequality as enshrined in the Capability Approach, just being a disabled person decreases healthcare utilization. This finding changes from one type of disability to another.

Keywords: Disability, types, utilization, health