Access to medical care for adolescents: results from the 1997 Commonwealth Fund Survey of the Health of Adolescent Girls

PURPOSE

This study examined the factors associated with access to care among adolescents, including gender, insurance coverage, and having a regular source of health care.

METHODS

Analyses were done on the 1997 Commonwealth Fund Survey of the Health of Adolescent Girls, a nationally representative sample of in-school adolescents in 5th through 12th grade. Access to health care, missing needed care, and whether the adolescent had private time with their provider were assessed. Cochran-Mantel-Haenszel chi-square statistics were computed using SUDAAN.

RESULTS

Nearly a third of the 6748 adolescents surveyed had missed needed care. The most common reason for missing care was not wanting a parent to know (35%). Girls were more likely than boys to miss care (29% vs. 24%). Most adolescents reported using a source of primary health care (92%); girls were more likely than boys to use a physician's office rather than another site (65% vs. 60%). Eleven percent of adolescents reported having no health insurance. Uninsured adolescents were more likely to have missed needed care (46% vs. 25%) [corrected].

CONCLUSIONS

Certain groups of adolescents have less access to health care. Girls have more emotional barriers, such as not wanting parents to know about care, and embarrassment. Adolescents without health insurance are at high risk for missing care because of financial strain. States, insurers, and advocates can influence policies around confidentiality and insurance coverage to address these issues.

The impact of health insurance status on adolescents' utilization of school-based clinic services: implications for health care reform

PURPOSE

1) To examine variations among students with different health insurance coverage in their use of school-based clinics (SBCs), reasons for not receiving health care when needed, and reasons for using or not using SBCs, and 2) to determine if insurance status is a significant factor in predicting SBC use, after controlling for demographic variables and health status.

METHODS

Confidential questionnaires were administered to 2,860 adolescents attending 3 urban high schools with on-site SBCs. Chi-square and multiple logistic regression analyses were used to assess differences among insurance groups in patterns of SBC use and reasons for clinic use/nonuse.

RESULTS

Students with private insurance or HMO coverage had the highest rates of SBC utilization (67% & 66%) and students without health insurance and with Medicaid had the lowest (57% & 59%) (p < 0.01). While there was no difference among adolescents according to insurance group membership in their use of SBC medical services, a significantly higher proportion of students with Medicaid coverage used SBC mental health services. Students without health insurance were less likely to receive health care from any source when it was needed. After controlling for demographic variables and health status, no insurance factors remained significant.

CONCLUSIONS

SBC users represent a variety of insurance groups. Health care reform efforts need to take into account the special needs of adolescents and the challenges they face in accessing care that go beyond financial barriers to care. SBC have been shown to provide a convenient and acceptable source of care, as well as offering the opportunity to provide preventive and primary care services to at-risk youth. As the country moves to a managed care environment potential partnerships with SBCs represent a unique opportunity to improve the delivery of care to adolescents, assuring increased access to a package of health services that they need.