The Uninsured Getting Care: Where You Live Matters

Publication Date: September 1998

Publisher: Center for Studying Health System Change

Author(s): Peter J. Cunningham; Peter Kemper

Research Area: Health

Type: Brief

Abstract:

A substantial number of Americans--41 million people--do not have health insurance; this represents a 16 percent increase in the uninsured since 1990. Further, many studies show that the uninsured have significantly more difficulty than the insured in getting needed care. This Issue Brief discusses Health System Change (HSC) findings from its Community Tracking Study showing that the ability of those without coverage to get needed care varies considerably across communities. In addition, HSC's study shows that the personal characteristics of the uninsured explain very little of this regional variation. These findings are the first step in helping decision makers understand how the dynamics of communities and the safety nets within them affect the medically indigents' ability to obtain needed care.