Health care access of Hispanic young adults in the United States.

PURPOSE: Hispanic persons in the United States experience higher rates of many chronic conditions than non-Hispanic whites. Access to care, especially during young adulthood, may afford opportunities for prevention or early management of these conditions. Given the heterogeneity of the Hispanic population, the specific aims of this study were to assess health insurance coverage and health care access and utilization for different Hispanic subgroups young adults in the U.S.

METHODS: We analyzed data from 5189 Hispanic and 13,214 white young adults (19-29 years old) completing the National Health Interview Survey (NHIS) from 1999-2002. Health care access/utilization measures included reports of 1) uninsurance, 2) lacking a usual source of care, 3) no health professional contact, and 4) delaying needed care because of cost. Multivariate analyses were used to estimate the risk of access barriers after adjusting for sociodemographic variables and citizenship.

RESULTS: Young adults of Central/South American, Mexican, or Puerto Rican origins were more likely than whites to be uninsured (28%-64% vs. 22%; p < .01) and this was especially true for noncitizens. Central/South American and Mexican young adults without U.S. citizenship were most likely to be uninsured (63% and 73%, respectively). The majority of noncitizens also lacked a usual source of care and had no health professional contact in the prior year. After adjustment, the risk of uninsurance was 60% higher for Mexican and Central/South American young adults relative to white peers. Mexican young adults also had higher risk of lacking a usual source of care and having no health professional contact.

CONCLUSIONS: Substantial variability in rates of uninsurance and health care access/utilization measures exist among subgroups of Hispanic young adults participating in the NHIS. U.S. citizenship and sociodemographic factors explain much, but not all of the differences.