Access to health care. Part 2: Working-age adults.
OBJECTIVE
This report presents data on access to health care for U.S. working-age adults, 18-64 years old. Access indicators are examined by selected sociodemographic characteristics including sex, age, race and/or ethnicity, place of residence, employment status, income, health status, and health insurance status.


METHODS
Data are from the 1993 Access to Care and 1993 Health Insurance Surveys of the National Health Interview Survey (NHIS), a continuing household survey of the civilian noninstitutionalized population of the United States. The sample contained 61,287 persons in 24,071 households.


RESULTS
In 1993, approximately 3 out of 4 working-age adults had a regular source of medical care. Nine out of 10 adults with health insurance had a regular source of care compared with 6 out of 10 adults without health insurance. For adults with a regular source of care, 86 percent received care in a private doctor's office, 9 percent in a clinic, and 2 percent in a hospital emergency room. The two main reasons given for not having a regular source of care were "do not need a doctor" (49 percent), and "no insurance can't afford it" (22 percent). Persons in the highest income group were more likely to report no need for a doctor (59 percent) than persons in the lowest income group (35 percent). About 40 percent of uninsured persons and 16 percent of insured persons reported an unmet medical need.


CONCLUSIONS
Health insurance plays a key role in the access to medical care services. Persons who are uninsured or have low incomes are at the greatest risk of having unmet medical needs.
Bloom
B
B
Simpson
G
G
Cohen
R A
RA
Parsons
P E
PE
D000293:Adolescent; D000328:Adult; D004651:Employment / Q000706:statistics & numerical data*; D005260:Female; D006264:Health Benefit Plans, Employee / Q000706:statistics & numerical data*; D019538:Health Care Surveys; D006297:Health Services Accessibility / Q000706:statistics & numerical data*; D006301:Health Services Needs and Demand; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D017057:Medically Uninsured / Q000706:statistics & numerical data*; D008875:Middle Aged; D011795:Surveys and Questionnaires; D014481:United States