Low-income earners more likely to avoid dentist, doctor due to costs

People in lower income groups are more likely to avoid a visit to the dentist or the house doctor because they find it too expensive, according to a study on inequality of opportunities conducted by Statistics Netherlands (CBS) last year.

Almost a quarter of adults (22.9 percent) have avoided or postponed a visit to the dentist due to the costs. This concerns Netherlands residents aged 18 or older. Among people with the lowest income and assets, a third said that they had avoided the dentist in the previous 12 months because they couldn’t afford it.

People in lower income groups also more often avoid a visit to the general practitioner, which is reimbursed from the basic health insurance package. They also indicate more often that they feel they have less chance of receiving good care. Approximately 15 percent of people with the lowest income and least assets feel this way, compared to 3 percent of people in the highest prosperity group.

Most Dutch people feel that their house doctor takes them seriously, although this applies more to older people than younger people. Of people over 65, 92 percent feel taken seriously, compared to approximately 75 percent of 18 to 35-year-olds.

The conclusions about healthcare are part of a broader CBS study, the Experiences Survey, which this year focused on inequality of opportunity. CBS also examined the labor market, education, and the housing market.

CBS found that a fifth of adults feel they had fewer opportunities at school due to their parents’ financial situation. Residents of some border regions also relatively often think that their residential region had a negative influence on their education opportunities. In Zeeuws-Vlaanderen, almost a quarter of respondents felt that way.

CBS divided households in the Netherlands into four equal groups based on disposable income and assets. Households in the highest group have both a high income and a lot of assets. Households in the lowest group have low income and few assets.