Table 3.
Univariate Associations Between Cross-Sectional Family Usual Source of Care (USC) Patterns and Children’s Receipt of Health Care Services, 2002–2007
| Outcomes | All Children Weighted % (95% CI)a | USC: Yes Child/Yes Parent(s) Weighted % (95% CI)a | USC: Yes Child/No Parent Weighted % (95% CI)a | USC: No Child/Yes Parent(s) Weighted % (95% CI)a | USC: No Child/No Parent Weighted % (95% CI)a |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Cross-sectional: 4 groups | |||||
| No. in sampleb | 56,302 | 41,254 | 8,487 | 1,629 | 4,932 |
| Child had insurance coverage gap | 18.2 (17.4–19.1) | 14.3 (13.6–15.1) | 23.1 (21.2–25.1) | 35.9 (32.0–40.0) | 49.1 (46.3–52.0) |
| No doctor visits in past year | 23.0 (22.2–23.9) | 19.1 (18.3–19.9) | 22.6 (20.9–24.4) | 54.6 (51.0–58.1) | 58.9 (56.4–61.4) |
| No dental visits at least yearly | 27.6 (26.7–28.4) | 24.7 (23.9–25.6) | 37.3 (35.2–39.3) | 35.6 (31.9–39.5) | 40.1 (37.5–42.7) |
| Unmet medical or prescription needc | 1.4 (1.2–1.6) | 1.1 (0.9–1.2) | 2.1 (1.5–3.1) | 2.5 (1.6–4.0) | 3.6 (2.8–4.6) |
| Delayed cared | 31.0 (30.0–32.0) | 30.2 (29.2–31.2) | 33.1 (30.9–35.5) | 33.8 (29.0–38.9) | 40.6 (37.1–44.1) |
| Problems getting caree | 15.6 (14.8–16.5) | 14.5 (13.7–15.4) | 17.8 (15.5–20.4) | 28.1 (22.2–34.8) | 31.4 (27.0–36.3) |
| Cross-sectional: 4 groups | |||||
| No. in sampleb | 50,602 | 37,175 | 7,201 | 1,566 | 4,660 |
| Past 2 years | |||||
| Did not receive all 4 preventive counseling items (missing >1)f,g | 83.2 (82.4–84.0) | 82.0 (81.0–83.0) | 85.4 (83.8–86.8) | 90.2 (87.2–92.5) | 90.8 (89.0–92.3) |
| Did not receive any of 4 preventive counseling items (missing all 4)f | 39.8 (38.8–40.9) | 37.2 (36.1–38.3) | 40.0 (37.6–42.4) | 62.5 (58.6–66.3) | 61.6 (59.2–63.9) |
| Lifetime | |||||
| Did not receive all 4 preventive counseling items (missing >1)f,h | 80.0 (78.9–80.9) | 78.6 (77.4–79.6) | 82.9 (81.3–84.5) | 87.1 (83.8–89.8) | 87.9 (85.9–89.6) |
| Did not receive any of 4 preventive counseling items (missing all 4)f | 33.4 (32.3–34.5) | 31.0 (29.9–32.1) | 33.8 (31.6–36.1) | 53.5 (49.5–57.5) | 52.8 (50.2–55.5) |
Source: 2002–2007 Medical Expenditure Panel Survey-Household Component (MEPS-HC).
Note: P <.05 in χ3 test comparisons of overall differences between insurance pattern subgroups and all outcome measures.
To derive the yearly population estimates, each child record from the MEPS-HC was weighted according to person-level weights provided by the data collection agency.
Unweighted counts represent total number of children, aged 0–17 years, from MEPS-HC–respondent households with a positive person weight who could be linked to at least 1 parent within the household. Total counts do not include 2,049 children with no parent identified in the household. Total also excludes 437 children for whom USC status could not be ascertained for the child and/or parent.
Unmet medical or prescription need was defined as being unable to get medical care and/or prescription medications when needed within the past year.
Delayed care was defined as parental report that child did not always get care as soon as was wanted for an illness, injury, or condition that needed care right away; or did not always get an appointment for routine health care as soon as was wanted.
Problems getting care was defined as parent reporting a big or small problem that child did not receive needed medical or prescription treatment; a big or small problem to get the child care, tests, or treatment a parent or doctor believed necessary; or a big or small problem to see a specialist the child needed to see.
The preventive counseling services include MEPS-HC items that asked parents whether a doctor or health care clinician had advised their child about the importance of (1) healthy eating, (2) routine exercise, (3) use of car safety seats/booster seats/seat belts, and (4) use of a helmet while riding a tricycle/bicycle.
In the past 2 years among all children, 39.8% were missing all 4 preventive counseling items; 16.7% were missing 3 items; 15.3% were missing 2 items; 11.4% were missing 1 item (16.8% had received all 4 items).
Over a lifetime among all children, 33.4% were missing all 4 preventive counseling items; 16.9% were missing 3 items; 16.5% were missing 2 items; 13.2% were missing 1 item (20.1% had received all 4 items).