Annual cost of health care according to individual morbidity

Abstract

Objective: The aim of this study was to know the costs of public health service users in a Brazilian city, according to their chronic morbidities. Methods: Cost method absortion was the methodology adopted to calculate those costs. The costs of each service were cross-referenced with a database of users cared in the same period, including a set of pre-existing health conditions, with no individual identification. Results: The results obtained correspond to the costs of 375,760 individuals who use some service of the municipal health network for a year. Costs ranged from R$ 0.05 to R$ 16,773.82, the lowest were equivalent to the consumption of medicines only and the highest to the use of multiple services. Conclusion: Significant variation was observed in the average costs per individual directly associated with the health problem/condition.