Retired and Employed Elderly Persons: Their Utilization of Health Care Services

This paper compares the health care used by employed and retired elderly persons. The analysis is based on data representative of an entire Canadian province's elderly population drawn from interviews and claims accumulated under the public medical and hospital services program. The findings indicate that (a) ambulatory physician visitation of both groups is similar, and (b) the greater prevalence of serious conditions among the retired is associated with their higher hospitalization rates rather than with their retirement status. The health and social policy implications of these and additional findings are discussed.