Access to healthcare is an extremely relevant indicator of integration. Many barriers can impede access, such as a general lack of knowledge about health institutions, linguistic barriers or a lack of connections. This indicator primarily examines impeded access to medical and dental care due to financial reasons. The lack of access to dental care is of particular interest as this type of service is in most cases paid for by patients. This is in contrast to general medical care, which is reimbursed by the basic health insurance.
Relevance/Result
Trends over time
Major region
In 2019, overall, a statistically significant difference between the population with a migration background from the first generation and the population without a migration background could be observed in the percentage of people who went without access to dental care (4% compared with 2%). The 1st generation of arrival has a rate twice as high as the 2nd or subsequent generation (5% versus 2.5%). There is no statistical difference between the 2nd generation and the population without a migration background.
As far as medical care was concerned, the difference between the population with a migration background and that without a migration background is statistically significant (1% versus 0.4%).
From 2015 to 2019, there has been an overall decrease in the share of the population with a migrant background renouncing dental care for financial reasons. As regards medical care, the rates have remained stable since 2015 and the differences between the different groups according to migration status are not significant.
The major regions for which results for the two population groups - with and without migration background - are available, they tend to show significant differences with regard to deprivation in dental care for financial reasons. In the region of North-West Switzerland, it is significant (4.5% versus 1.3%). Compared to the other major regions, in the Lake Geneva region the population with a migration background is affected about twice as much as in the other large regions.
The differences are less pronounced with regard to deprivation of medical care.
Definitions
Percentage of people who went without dental or medical care due to financial reasons.
Methodologies
Following changes to the survey framework and improvements in the weighting model, results from 2014 on can no longer be directly compared with those from previous years (series break).
At the request of Eurostat the questions regarding lack of access to healthcare were revised in 2015. The main change is that persons are now questioned about the necessity of medical (or dental) treatment prior to being asked if they have always been able to have access to the necessary examinations or treatment. This means that from 2015, only people who said they really needed an examination or treatment and who did not have access to such care were asked for the main reason for not consulting. As previously, when the main reason is financial, the person is considered to be subject to a lack of access to healthcare.
Contact
Federal Statistical Office Section Demography and MigrationEspace de l'Europe 10
CH-2010 Neuchâtel
Switzerland