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Health Care Access

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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.

Commentary
A Potential Backslide in Mental Health Care for Millions of Americans
The expiration of the COVID-19 Public Health Emergency declaration will have broad-sweeping effects, and one of the most significant is little known: It could begin undoing the expansion of mental health care access for millions of Americans.
Apr 18, 2023
Research Brief
How Does Telehealth Affect Health Care Quality, Access, Equity, and Costs?
Early in the COVID-19 pandemic, health care providers pivoted to telehealth out of necessity. As policymakers look beyond the pandemic, concerns about telehealth's effects on health care spending and quality persist.
May 11, 2023

Explore Health Care Access

Journal Article
Ongoing Disparities in Digital and In-Person Access to Child Psychiatric Services in the United States
Although telehealth holds promise for promoting access to child and adolescent psychiatric services, large disparities in overall access to services persists in rural and low-income communities.
Mar 24, 2022
Project
Promoting Vaccination Equity
RAND's analysis of the Equity-First Vaccination Initiative inspired Juan Delcan and Valentina Izaguirre, the artist team known as V+J, to create a unique visual story about how to support equitable access to COVID-19 information and vaccinations.
Mar 23, 2022
Report
Evaluation of Los Angeles County's 2021 WhyWeRise Mental Health Campaign
RAND researchers describe a survey conducted to evaluate the reach and impact of a 2021 Los Angeles County social marketing campaign promoting awareness of county mental health resources and communicating messages of resilience, support, and hope.
Mar 23, 2022
News Release
Audio-Only Telehealth Remains Common at Safety Net Health Clinics; Trend Raises Questions About Quality
Rapid adoption of telehealth helped safety net clinics in California to maintain consistent levels of service after the onset of the COVID-19 pandemic, but the use of audio-only care has persisted in the clinics longer than in other types of health care settings.
Mar 15, 2022
Report
Audio-Only Telehealth Remains Common at Safety Net Clinics; Raises Questions About Quality
Early in the COVID-19 pandemic, rapid adoption of telehealth helped safety net clinics in California maintain service. But the use of audio-only care has persisted in the clinics, raising questions about the quality of care and equity for low-income patients.
Mar 14, 2022
Journal Article
Access to High-Cost Medications After a Cap on Monthly Out-of-Pocket Spending in California
This cross-sectional study evaluates the association of a cap on monthly out-of-pocket spending on high-cost drugs with use of these drugs and out-of-pocket spending in California in 2015 and 2016.
Mar 4, 2022
Report
Carve-In Models for Specialty Behavioral Health Services: Lessons for California
Many states separate, or
Feb 11, 2022
Journal Article
Trends In Home Care Versus Nursing Home Workforce Sizes: Are States Converging Or Diverging Over Time?
Since 2009, most states have increased the size of their home care workforces and decreased the size of their nursing home workforces, but there is substantial variation across states. More targeted efforts may be needed to ensure that people with disabling conditions can have their needs met in their desired setting across the nation.
Feb 8, 2022
Report
Hyper-Local Strategies Are Working to Promote Vaccination Equity
The Equity-First Vaccination Initiative, launched in summer 2021, has already made progress in reducing racial/ethnic disparities in U.S. COVID-19 vaccination rates. Hyper-local, community-led strategies are helping to increase vaccine confidence and access for communities that identify as Black, Indigenous, and people of color.
Jan 28, 2022
Journal Article
Enhancing Early Engagement (E3) in Mental Health Services Training for Children's Advocacy Center's Victim Advocates: Feasibility Protocol for a Randomized Controlled Trial
This feasibility study protocol describes our plans to develop, implement, and evaluate web-based and consultative training for Children's Advocacy Center Victim Advocates to enhance early engagement in evidence-based youth mental health services.
Jan 7, 2022
Research Brief
Early Insights from the Equity-First Vaccination Initiative
Vaccination rates among communities that identify as Black, Indigenous, and people of color (BIPOC) continue to lag relative to the total population. To increase vaccine confidence and access for these populations, the Equity-First Vaccination Initiative employs hyper-local, community-led strategies.
Dec 20, 2021
Commentary
Twelve-Month Continuous Eligibility for Medicaid Adults Can Stabilize Coverage with a Modest Cost Increase
Churning—frequent moving in and out of Medicaid due to income fluctuation—increases insurance coverage gaps, disrupts access to health care, increases unnecessary administrative burden, and leads to suboptimal health outcomes. Federal and state policymakers might consider continuous eligibility to help stabilize Medicaid enrollment.
Dec 8, 2021
Report
Evaluating New York's Medicaid Section 1115 Waiver
New York State’s Medicaid Section 1115 Waiver seeks to enroll a majority of Medicaid beneficiaries into managed care, increase access and service quality, and expand coverage to more low-income New Yorkers. RAND researchers examined whether two components of the 1115 Demonstration Waiver have helped achieve the program’s goals.
Dec 2, 2021
News Release
Patients OK Using Telehealth in Future, but Cost May Be Key to Maintaining Pandemic Boost in Use
Most Americans prefer to receive their medical care in person, but are generally willing to continue using telehealth services that have grown more common during the COVID-19 pandemic.
Dec 1, 2021
News Release
Boosting Tax Credits and Other Aid Could Prevent Health Insurance Loss During Future Recessions
The federal Affordable Care Act was not robust enough on its own to stave off a large number of people in New York from losing their health coverage during the pandemic-related recession.
Nov 15, 2021
Report
How to Prevent Health Insurance Loss During Future Recessions
The pandemic–related recession and job loss raised concerns that millions of Americans would lose their health insurance. But temporary aid to protect coverage prevented that from happening. Making the enhanced marketplace tax credits in the American Rescue Plan permanent could keep coverage stable in future recessions.
Nov 12, 2021
Essay
Advances in Care for Veterans with Traumatic Brain Injuries or PTSD
A new standard of care proposed by RAND researchers aims to redefine high-quality care for veterans with a traumatic brain injury or posttraumatic stress disorder. But it also could serve as a template for making health care more effective, more consistent, and more responsive for more patients.
Nov 8, 2021
Report
Access to Health Care Among TRICARE-Covered Children
Analyses of survey data allow a comparison between children with TRICARE and other types of insurance, as well as between children who have changed addresses more and less frequently and children with special health care needs and those without.
Nov 8, 2021
Report
Implementation and 12-Month Health Service Utilization and Cost Outcomes from a Managed Care Health Plan's Permanent Supportive Housing Program
This report presents an implementation and outcome study of a permanent supportive housing program—including service utilization and associated costs review—operated by a not-for-profit Medicaid and Medicare managed care plan in Southern California.
Oct 25, 2021
Journal Article
Population-Based Estimates of Geographic Accessibility of Medication for Opioid Use Disorder by Substance Use Disorder Treatment Facilities from 2014 to 2020
This cross-sectional study of substance use disorder treatment facilities examined the national share of facilities that offer medication treatment for opioid use disorder (MOUD) and population-based measures of geographic accessibility of facilities offering MOUD.
Oct 22, 2021

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RAND Topic:
Health Care Access

Research conducted by

Researcher Spotlight

Petra Rasmussen

Associate Policy Researcher

Petra W. Rasmussen (she/her) is an associate policy researcher at RAND. Her research focuses on health care coverage in the United States, including examining consumer insurance decision-making, tracking the implementation and effects of the Affordable Care Act (ACA), and evaluating gaps in…
Kathryn Pitkin Derose

Adjunct Policy Researcher

Kathryn P. Derose is an adjunct policy researcher at the RAND Corporation and professor at the Pardee RAND Graduate School. She is also a professor at the University of Massachusetts Amherst. Her research focuses on understanding and addressing health disparities. She has particular expertise…

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