CROSS-BORDER USE OF HEALTH-CARE - A SURVEY OF FRONTIER WORKERS KNOWLEDGE, ATTITUDES AND USE

This study examined the impact of enlarging access to health care to r esidents of frontier zones in northern France and Belgium. A postal su rvey was carried out on representative samples of French frontier work ers (n=176) and Belgian frontier workers (n=366). The survey explored the level of awareness of the arrangements for double access to health care, the patterns of cross-border use of health care and the obstacl es and incentives to use cross-border health care. The results showed that approximately one-fifth of the respondents were unaware of their eligibility and this was particularly pronounced about their dependant s' entitlement. Frontier workers tended to use cross-border care for t he purchase of medications, the use of hospital care and the use of sp ecialized care. There was an increased flow of consumption from Belgiu m to France which might be explained by the higher proportion of Belgi an workers being of French nationality or having dual nationality.