The cost of health care for older adults: A descriptive and retrospective study in Ecuador

The main objective of this descriptive-retrospective study was to determine the health costs for adults over 60 years of age in Ecuador from the patient's perspective. A sample of 5,235 adults from 1,716,002 adults was examined. The qualitative and quantitative KMO (Kaiser-Meyer-Olkin) indexes were 97.2% and 70% respectively. The results show that the costs included medical consultation, hospitalization, laboratory tests, and medication. The total average cost was USD 1,833.96/month and USD 22,007.54/year for model-1 with hospitalization. The total average cost for model-2 without hospitalization was USD 190.39/month and USD 2,284.68/year. A significant relationship between the cost and the use of health services in public and private care was observed. In addition, health costs influence impoverishment when the elderly require hospitalization. It is concluded that the cost of poly-pharmacy is significantly high, followed by hospitalization costs associated with medical consultations and laboratory tests. © 2021 Centro de Informacion Tecnologica. All rights reserved.