Racial and Ethnic Disparities in Access to Care Among Adults with Cardiovascular Disease

Area of Science:

• Public Health and Epidemiology
• Health Services Research
• Cardiovascular Medicine

Background:

• Persistent racial and ethnic disparities in cardiovascular disease (CVD) care access are a significant public health concern.
• Understanding the underlying factors contributing to these disparities is essential for developing effective interventions.

Purpose of the Study:

• To assess racial and ethnic disparities in access to care among cardiovascular disease (CVD) patients.
• To identify factors influencing consistent and timely access to care for CVD patients.

Main Methods:

• Retrospective cross-sectional study utilizing the Medical Expenditure Panel Survey (MEPS) data.
• Analysis included 4,686 participants with cardiovascular disease (CVD).
• Statistical adjustments were made for predisposing, enabling, and external factors.

Main Results:

• Unadjusted analyses showed disparities in consistent and timely access for Black and Hispanic individuals compared to White individuals.
• After adjusting for socioeconomic and other factors, these racial and ethnic differences in access to care became non-significant.
• Older age (45-64 and 65+) was associated with higher odds of consistent and timely care access.
• Public insurance and lack of insurance were associated with lower consistent access to appointments compared to private insurance.

Conclusions:

• Socioeconomic factors, rather than race or ethnicity alone, appear to be significant drivers of disparities in CVD care access.
• Culturally sensitive care and targeted interventions addressing socioeconomic barriers are necessary for equitable CVD management.
• Ensuring equitable, high-quality cardiovascular disease (CVD) care requires a focus on socioeconomic determinants of health.