Access to health care refers to the ease with which an individual can obtain needed medical services. RAND research has examined the social, cultural, economic, and geographic factors that influence health care access worldwide; the effects of changes in access; and the relationship between access and health for specific U.S. populations—including racial and ethnic minorities, people with limited English proficiency, the uninsured, the elderly, children, and veterans.
Examines the health care needs of released California prisoners, communities most affected by reentry, safety net capacity, and provider experiences with ex-prisoners, given California's Public Safety Realignment Plan and federal health care reform.
Between 1990 and 2009, the number of emergency rooms (ERs) in nonrural U.S. hospitals declined by 27 percent (from 2,446 to 1,779). Economic factors play a central role in an ER's ability to remain open.
Researchers analyzed data on child and maternal health care use from 34 sub-Saharan African countries to examine the association between the degree of private sector participation in the health care system and outcomes related to access and equity.
Less than half of acute care visits in the United States involve a patient's personal physician. Emergency physicians, who comprise only 4 percent of doctors, handle 28 percent of all acute care encounters and nearly all after-hours and weekend care.
Presents information on the growing phenomenon of retail medical clinics, the types of patients they serve and the types of care they provide, and whether some common claims about retail clinics are supported by evidence.
Stakeholders in communities in which health care access was disrupted by Hurricane Katrina were engaged in an assessment of health priorities, as well as in data interpretation and plan design, to produce a sustainable community-academic partnership.
Presents findings from the Teen Depression Awareness Project, which explored how depression affects teens, the factors that influence teens' readiness to seek treatment for depression, and the barriers that teens and parents face when seeking care.
Presents information on the growing phenomenon of retail medical clinics, the types of patients they serve and the types of care they provide, and whether some common claims about retail clinics are supported by evidence.
Assesses children's health issues in Washington, D.C., including the health care delivery system and neighborhood health environments.
Describes the characteristics of rural hospitals and those who use them and discusses the challenges these hospitals face.
Examines how California's ambulatory surgical centers (ASCs) compare with hospital outpatient surgery departments and how the state compares with other states in regulating ASCs.
Evaluates a one-year trial in which two administrative requirements governing the provision of mental health care under TRICARE (the health care system for military personnel) were lifted, focusing on whether this increased access to such care.
California parolees' health care, mental health care, and drug- and alcohol-treatment needs, as well as where parolees go when they return to counties, place significant demands on counties' safety-net resources and on their ability meet those needs.
This fact sheet describes the diverse health care needs of immigrant populations and specifies needs that health policies can target.
This research brief describes the effects of state health-insurance mandates and consumer-directed health plans (CDHPs) on the access to and affordability of health insurance for small businesses.
Children newly enrolled in a public health insurance program in California reported improvements such as doing better in school, feeling better physically, and getting along better with their peers.
A greater number of eligible children could be enrolled in SCHIP if application processes were simplified and educational outreach efforts were increased. Also, primary care quality could be improved and disparities reduced if policies ensured that children had access to a regular provider when they needed care.
This Research Brief summarizes research analyzing and comparing key components of children's primary care: having insurance, having a regular medical care provider, and actually receiving care when it is needed.
This research brief summarizes an analysis of data from a nationwide survey to determine why children eligible to be in the State Children's Health Insurance Program (SCHIP) are not enrolled.
A study by RAND researchers identifies six areas in the pediatric health care system where major barriers -- termed "voltage drops" by several leading health services researchers -- lead to a breakdown in delivery of adequate quality care.
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