Children's utilization of medical care

Abstract

Children's utilization of medical care remains unequal even after the implementation of policies such as Medicaid and Neighborhood Health Centers. Children in lower-income areas or from larger families are less likely to see a provider over a 1-year period. Sharper differences are found when one analyzes the type of providers used. Here income, race, marital status, family type, type of insurance coverage and community characteristics are all associated with type of provider used. Children to whom more resources are available (in terms of income, parents' time, community income and insurance) appear more likely than other children to use what is traditionally termed higher-quality care. The fact that the data used are from a community with generous Medicaid benefits and a university-sponsored pediatric project suggests that inequalities in utilization continue to exist even after substantial government intervention.