Abstract
OBJECTIVE: To investigate the evolution of prevalence of catastrophic health expenditure in the Brazilian Federal District at three different times (2003, 2009 and 2018), as well, to identify the composition of outof- pocket expenditure in the respective years. METHOD: Time series study, using descriptive data from the Family Budget Survey. Prevalence was stratified by consumption quintiles. RESULTS: 754 households were selected as a sample in 2003, 695 in 2009 and 1,000 in 2018. Taking a 10% consumption threshold, prevalence of catastrophic expenditure was 12.3% (95%CI 9.6;14.9) in 2003, 15.3% (95%CI 12.1;18.3) in 2009 and 14.1% (95CI% 11.8;16.2) in 2018. Households with lower income had higher prevalence of catastrophic expenditure. Medicines have a greater burden on expenditure of low-income families. CONCLUSIONS: There was an increase in prevalence of catastrophic expenditure in the Federal District. Medicines were the main expense for the poorest families.