Adults’ Lack of a Usual Source of Care: A Matter of Preference?
Ann Fam Med Viera et al.
4: 359
The Article in Brief
Adults' Lack of a Usual Source of Care: A Matter of Preference?
Anthony J. Viera, MD, and colleagues
Background People with a usual source of care (a regular doctor or a regular place where they get their health care) receive more preventive health services and have better control of chronic medical conditions. Yet in 2001, an estimated 52 million Americans did not have a usual source of care. This study set out to learn more about people who don’t have a usual source of care.
What This Study Found The most common reason people gave for lacking a usual source of care was that they were seldom or never sick. Only 10.2% of people said that cost was the reason. Overall, 72% of the estimated 42.7 million adults without a usual source of care in 2000 apparently had little or no preference for one, and a minority (28%) appeared to prefer to have one if they could.
Implications
- It is commonly assumed that removing such barriers as cost and lack of transportation should be the goal in ensuring that people have a usual source of care. The results of this study suggest that it might be more important to teach people the value of having a usual source of care, or to develop systems that allow people to experience a usual care source.
