This article analyses, from micro-data of the National Sample Household Survey (PNAD/IBGE) from 1998 and 2003, the utilisation of health services according to different financing systems. In other words, it analyses if this utilisation has been done through the National Health System SUS (public and universal health insurance, financed by taxes), through private health insurance (premiums paid by the insured population and/or their employers) or through out-of-pocket payments. The main results are: 1) SUS finances most of inpatient and outpatient utilisation and its participation has strongly increased from 1998 to 2003; 2) although the absolute number of outpatient utilisation made through the three systems has increased, SUS expansion has been much stronger (it increased 44%) and it corresponded to a slower increase (6,2%) of out-of-pocket utilisation and 3) SUS is the main financing system of the two extremes of complexity of health care: primary care and high complexity services.
Health services financing and utilisation
