It is a societal given, borne out by the facts: the higher one's social status, the better health, and the longer life expectancy. As the situation persists, an important question demands attention, namely whether health care systems contribute to the inequity.

Part I Introduction.- Theorizing, empiricizing and analyzing health care utilization in Germany: An introduction.- Part II Theory.- Re-revisiting the Behavioral Model of Health Care Utilization by Andersen: A review on theoretical advances and perspectives.- Health care utilization within the system of statutory sickness funds in Germany.- Part III Methodology.- The problem of repeated surveys: How comparable are their results regarding utilization of medical services?.- Health care utilization research using secondary data.- Health care utilization: Insights from qualitative research.- Part IV a  Results: Selected determinants.- Gender and utilization of health care.- Socioeconomic status and health care utilization in Germany: A systematic review.- Migration and health care utilization in the European context.- How do socioeconomic factors influence the amount and intensity of services utilization by family caregivers of elderly dependents?.- Part IV b Results: Selected diseases.- Health care utilization by dementia patients living at home and their kins.- Utilization of general practitioners by obese men and women: Review for Germany and results from the MONICA/KORA cohorts S3/F3 and S4/F4.- Utilization of physiotherapy by patients with rheumatic diseases.- Participation in self-help activities amongst patients with rheumatic diseases.- Part IV b Results: Selected sectors of care.- Social determinants of utilization of psychotherapy in Germany.- Variation in the use of prevention and health promotion services according to gender, age, socioeconomic, and migration status.- Utilisation of an Integrated Care Pilot in Germany: Morbidity, age and sex distribution of Gesundes Kinzigtal Integrated Care's membership in 2006-08.- Part V Extroduction.- Health care utilization: A concluding note on research prospects.