Characteristics of Latinos with No Usual Source of Care

Abstract

Disparities in healthcare access persist across racial/ethnic groups. These disparities are greatest among the Latino population compared with other racial or ethnic groups. Latinos are less likely to have a usual source of care and utilize the healthcare system. It is important to explore the factors that are related to healthcare access of the Latino population, define those that are even less likely, and find characteristics that would have the most impact on increasing access. Adult Latino respondents of the 2006 National Health Interview Survey were used (N=4,193). Descriptive analyses, crosstabulations, and logistic regression were used to describe the associations of sociodemographic characteristics, acculturation, and health insurance coverage with not having a usual source of care. Attributable risk equations were used to define the characteristics that would have the greatest impact on increased access to healthcare. This study found that nearly 35% of Latinos are without a usual source of care. All sociodemographic and acculturation measures were significantly associated with not having a usual source of care. There are subgroups of the Latino population that have even worse access to healthcare, including those without health insurance, with low levels of acculturation, and those under 40 years old. Not having health insurance generated the highest odds and attributable risk for not having healthcare access. This research has shown that expanding insurance coverage should be a major part of any strategy to increase healthcare access among the Latino population in the U.S. Although increasing health insurance coverage will most likely improve access to healthcare, the expansion of insurance coverage alone will not effectively increase access to healthcare for all Latinos in the U.S. This means that to eliminate disparities in access to health care, interventions must also focus on education and acculturation levels of the Latinos population.