There is also a strong link between economic crisis and hospital visits in the United States, including increases in visits for preventable conditions and paediatric admissions for physical abuse (Curry and Tekin, 2011, Brooks-Gunn et al., Importantly, the rise in hospitalisation was strongly associated with rises in foreclosures and mortgage stress but not with other economic crisis events such as unemployment. Among elderly Medicare beneficiaries in the United States, higher unemployment rates are associated with increased inpatient use (Mclnerey and Mellor, 2012).