Objectives To elucidate the household payments required
for medical and non-medical spending for inpatient health
care and examine the pattern of household payments
according to household economic status and the degree of
remoteness of the area of residence.
Methods The subjects were 5940 individuals included in a
nationally representative survey in 2010. Their medical
(diagnosis and medicine) and non-medical (accommodation
and transportation) expenses for their most recent
hospitalization were analyzed.
Results Compared with the richest group, the poorest
group paid less for diagnosis and medicine (AOR = 0.37,
P\0.001; AOR = 0.78, P = 0.009, respectively), paid
similar amounts for accommodation (AOR = 1.19,
P = 0.164), and more for transportation (AOR = 2.09,
P\0.001). Residents in urban areas paid less than residents
in rural areas for accommodation and transportation
(AOR = 0.73, P\0.001; AOR = 0.58, P\0.001,
respectively).
Conclusions Poor households paid less for diagnosis and
medicine, but more for transportation related to inpatient
care. Non-medical spending for inpatient care among the
poor should be considered for affordable and accessible
health-care utilization.