Logo image
Back
Insurance Coverage and Utilization Improve for Latino Youth but Disparities by Heritage Group Persist Following the ACA
Journal article   Peer reviewed

Insurance Coverage and Utilization Improve for Latino Youth but Disparities by Heritage Group Persist Following the ACA

Jessie Kemmick Pintor, Jie Chen, Héctor E Alcalá, Brent A Langellier, Ryan M McKenna, Dylan H Roby and Alexander N Ortega
Medical care, v 56(11), pp 927-933
Nov 2018
DOI: https://doi.org/10.1097/MLR.0000000000000992
PMID: 30234767
Featured in Collection :   UN Sustainable Development Goals @ Drexel

Abstract

Adolescent Child Child, Preschool Emergency Service, Hospital - statistics & numerical data Female Health Services Accessibility - statistics & numerical data Health Status Healthcare Disparities - ethnology Hispanic Americans - statistics & numerical data Humans Infant Infant, Newborn Insurance Coverage - statistics & numerical data Insurance, Health - statistics & numerical data Language Logistic Models Male Office Visits - statistics & numerical data Patient Acceptance of Health Care - ethnology Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act - legislation & jurisprudence Socioeconomic Factors United States
Latino youth experience worse access to and utilization of health care compared with non-Latino "white" youth, with inequities persisting following the implementation of the Affordable Care Act (ACA). To better understand these disparities, we examine changes in youth's access and utilization associated with the ACA for different Latino heritage groups relative to whites. We use 6 years (2011-2016) of National Health Interview Survey data to examine Latino youth's insurance coverage and health care utilization by heritage group, nativity, and parental language. The dependent measures of utilization included well-child, emergency department, and physician visits. We used multivariable logistic regression models to estimate the odds of each dependent measure and interacted heritage group and time period [2011-2013 (pre-ACA) versus 2014-2016 (post-ACA)] to examine how changes associated with the ACA varied by group. Insurance coverage and well-child visits improved among youth overall following implementation of the ACA. Although Mexican and Central or South American youth experienced the largest absolute increase in coverage, they still had high levels of uninsurance post-ACA (9.9% and 9.1%, respectively). Disparities in coverage between Puerto Rican and white youth improved, while disparities in well-child visits between Mexican and white youth worsened. Little to no movement was observed in disparities by nativity and parental language. Most disparities in insurance and utilization across Latino heritage groups and white youth persisted post-ACA despite significant gains within groups. Although disparities for Puerto Rican youth have improved, Mexican and Central or South American youth continue to experience disparities.

Metrics

13 Record Views
9 citations in Web of Science
11 citations in Scopus

Details

UN Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs)

This publication has contributed to the advancement of the following goals:

#3 Good Health and Well-Being

InCites Highlights

Data related to this publication, from InCites Benchmarking & Analytics tool:

Collaboration types
Domestic collaboration
Web of Science research areas
Health Care Sciences & Services
Health Policy & Services
Public, Environmental & Occupational Health
Logo image