Medical Vulnerability in America: How Does the Health System Respond?

This study explores the hypothesis that market change affects the medically vulnerable more than the non-medically vulnerable. Analysis of data measuring change between 1997 and 1999 indicates that access to care eroded for both groups, but no evidence emerges to suggest that the changes were system...

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Bibliographic Details
Published in:Inquiry (Chicago) 2003, Vol.40 (2), p.198-209
Main Authors: Knickman, James R., Hunt, Kelly A.
Format: Article
Language:English
Subjects:
Activities of Daily Living
Adult
Age
Aged
Chronic diseases
Chronic illnesses
Delivery of Health Care - organization & administration
Delivery of Health Care - standards
Delivery of Health Care - trends
Disabilities
Disability
Disabled Persons - psychology
Employer provided health insurance
Family Characteristics
Female
Frail Elderly
Health care access
Health care policy
Health Care Surveys
Health Services Accessibility - statistics & numerical data
Health Services Accessibility - trends
Health services utilization
Health Status
Humans
Income - classification
Interviews as Topic
Male
Medically Uninsured
Medicare
Middle age
Middle Aged
National health insurance
Older adults
Organizational Innovation
Patient care
Patient Satisfaction - statistics & numerical data
Population
Regression analysis
Socioeconomic factors
Studies
Trends
Uninsured people
United States
Vulnerable Populations - classification
Vulnerable Populations - psychology
Vulnerable Populations - statistics & numerical data
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Description
Summary:This study explores the hypothesis that market change affects the medically vulnerable more than the non-medically vulnerable. Analysis of data measuring change between 1997 and 1999 indicates that access to care eroded for both groups, but no evidence emerges to suggest that the changes were systematically worse for the medically vulnerable. Paradoxically, some measures of satisfaction with actual care received improved between 1997 and 1999 for both groups of people. Recent market changes do not seem to pose extra special threats to the medically vulnerable. However, our findings reinforce the need to better coordinate and integrate services for the medically vulnerable and chronically ill.
ISSN:0046-9580
1945-7243
DOI:10.5034/inquiryjrnl_40.2.198