Cost-benefit impact of free asthma medication provision for the pediatric population

摘要

Background: Asthma is a common chronic disease in childhood, resulting in high costs for health care systems and society. As of June 2011, the Brazilian Unified Health System (SUS) provides free asthma medications for the population. This study evaluated the impact of this program on asthma admissions in the population aged 1-19 years. In addition, a cost-benefit analysis compared data before and after the introduction of the program.