[The impact of subsidized healthcare insurance on access to cervical cytology in Medellin, Colombia].

OBJECTIVE Assessing the impact of subsidized healthcare insurance on access to cervical cytology in Medellin, Colombia. MATERIALS AND METHODS Propensity score matching (PSM) was used with 2008 Life Quality Survey in Colombia figures to obtain a control group comparable to a treatment group. This involved using stratification estimates, the k-nearest-neighbor algorithm and kernel density for calculating impact size RESULTS Access to cytology for 19 to 49 year-old women having subsidized healthcare insurance were 2.2 % to 2.9 % lower compared to women who did not have any healthcare insurance. Estimates were not statistically significant for women over 50 years-old. DISCUSSION Women lacking healthcare insurance having increased access to cytology could be explained by charities or social programs aiding the population lacking healthcare insurance.