Socioeconomic status and catastrophic health expenditure evaluation in IR Iran: a comparative study in 2004 and 2011

ABSTRACT

Background: Health equity is a main principle of all healthcare systems in the world. Family Physician [FP] program, as a health sector reform [HSR] in Iran, was executed to reduce households' health care cost and to achieve health equity in 2004. Meanwhile, catastrophic health expenditure is known as an accepted indicator in HSR evaluation. In this context, after determining and comparing socioeconomic status [SES] among different periods, we made an attempt to evaluate households' health financial protection in different quintiles after implementation of FP program