Determinants of healthcare expenditures in Iran: evidence from a time series analysis.

Our analysis identified GDP per capita, illiteracy rate, degree of urbanization and number of physicians as some of the driving forces behind the persistent increase in HCE in Iran. These findings provide important insights into the growth in HCE in Iran. In addition, since we found that health spending is a "necessity good" in Iran, healthcare services should thus be the object of public funding and government intervention.