M. Calnan et al., CROSS-BORDER USE OF HEALTH-CARE - A SURVEY OF FRONTIER WORKERS KNOWLEDGE, ATTITUDES AND USE, European journal of public health, 7(3), 1997, pp. 26-32
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.