Access to Health Care for Young Children in the United States

The health care needs of children, and of young children in particular, reflect their underlying age-specific health needs. Current literature provides a useful foundation for understanding the health needs of young children and the ability of young children to get access to needed care. Yet much of the existing literature is dated or uses less than ideal age categorizations. In this analysis, which focuses specifically on children from birth to age 3, the authors attempt to build on previous studies by examining the role of race and ethnicity, income, and insurance status in determining access to care using new national data on access to a broad range of health and developmental services.