Related Experiment Video
Updated: Jan 13, 2026

A Novel Method for Involving Women of Color at High Risk for Preterm Birth in Research Priority Setting
Published on: January 12, 2018
Association of Public and Private Insurance with Having a Usual Source of Care in Adolescence: Race/Ethnicity and
Melissa Tibbits1, Hyo Jung Tak2
1Department of Health Promotion, College of Public Health, University of Nebraska Medical Center, 984365 Nebraska Medical Center, Omaha, NE, 68198-4365, USA. mtibbits@unmc.edu.
Objective:
Adolescents with a usual source of care (USC) are less likely to have unmet health needs. Insurance coverage may enable having a USC by reducing some barriers to care, but unique challenges of public insurance (e.g., limited number of providers) and private insurance (limited no-cost services) suggest that the impact of insurance may not be universal. Groups such as immigrants and racial and ethnic minorities face additional barriers to receiving health care and may be differentially impacted by type of insurance coverage. This study examined the relationship between insurance type and having no USC in adolescence overall and by race and ethnicity and whether parents are immigrants.
Methods:
We analyzed nationally representative cross-sectional data from the 2018-2021 Medical Expenditure Panel Survey Household Component using multivariable logistic regression adjusting for other explanatory variables. Analyses were conducted for the full sample, by race and ethnicity, and by parents' immigrant designation (US-born, mixed immigrant type, and foreign-born).
Results:
Although adolescents with public insurance were less likely to be without USC than adolescents with private insurance, in the subsample analyses, this finding was only significant for Non-Hispanic Black adolescents and those with US-born parents.
Conclusions:
Additional work is needed to ensure all insurance plans address the unique barriers to care experienced by adolescents of different races, ethnicities, and immigrant designations.
Related Concept Videos
Ethnic Identity within a Larger Culture
Introduction To Health Care Delivery System
The Institute of Medicine (IOM) advocates for a patient-centered, effective, safe, timely, equitable, and effective healthcare system. The National Priorities...
Influence of Parents and Peers on Identity
Parental Influence on Identity Development
Parents serve as primary guides and managers in an adolescent's life, offering support instrumental in decision-making and personal growth....
Stereotypes, Prejudice, and Discrimination
Surveys
Methods Of Healthcare Delivery System
Managed Care System:
The managed care system is designed to control the cost while maintaining the quality of care. The patient's care from admission to discharge is planned by the primary care provider or the case manager, also known as the gatekeeper. In a managed care system, the number of care providers is...

