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Use of health care services by lower-income and higher-income uninsured adults

  • 0Robert Wood Johnson Clinical Scholars Program, Department of Internal Medicine, School of Medicine, Yale University, New Haven, Conn 06520-8088, USA. joseph.s.ross@yale.edu
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May 4, 2006

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May 4, 2006

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View abstract on PubMed

Summary

This summary is machine-generated.

Higher income does not offset the negative impact of lacking health insurance on accessing recommended preventive health services. Uninsured adults, regardless of income, utilized fewer services for cancer prevention, cardiovascular risk reduction, and diabetes management.

Area Of Science

  • Health Services Research
  • Public Health Policy
  • Health Economics

Background

  • Over 45 million US adults lack health insurance, potentially limiting healthcare access.
  • Little research has focused on higher-income uninsured adults' healthcare utilization patterns.

Purpose Of The Study

  • To investigate if higher income mitigates the reduced use of recommended health services among uninsured adults.
  • To analyze the association between income, insurance status, and healthcare service utilization.

Main Methods

  • Cross-sectional analysis of the 2002 Behavioral Risk Factor Surveillance System (BRFSS) data.
  • Nationally representative sample of 194,943 US adults aged 18-64.
  • Examined self-reported use of cancer screening, cardiovascular risk reduction, and diabetes management services.

Main Results

  • Both insurance status and household income were significantly associated with healthcare service use.
  • Higher income did not significantly increase the likelihood of uninsured adults receiving recommended services compared to insured adults.
  • Uninsured adults, even those with higher incomes, showed decreased use of preventive services across all examined categories.

Conclusions

  • Lack of health insurance is linked to reduced use of recommended health services, irrespective of income level.
  • Increased income does not compensate for the disparity in service utilization between insured and uninsured individuals.
  • Interventions should target patient education and expanding insurance eligibility for all income levels.

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