Access to health care has dominated the health policy scene for several decades. In the early 1990s national legislation, “universal access” to health care was introduced by former president, Clinton, and the Congress as a way to provide health security for all Americans. Lively debates were generated and the topic commanded national attention. The effort, although unsuccessful, has kept the problem of health care access on the public agenda.
Access to care generally refers to the timely use of personal health services to achieve the best possible outcomes. Initially, the premise was access to physicians and hospitals. Recently the analysis of health care access has required accounting for a variety of providers, services, and facilities. In addition, access describes the actual use of health services and factors that facilitate or impede health care.
Aday ( 2001) and Anderson (1996) describe six types of access:
- 1.
Potential access refers to health care system characteristics that...
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Aday LA (2001) At risk in America: the health of vulnerable populations in the United States. Jossey‐Bass, San Francisco, CA
Anderson RM, Rice TM, Kominski GF (eds) (1996) Changing the U.S. health care system. Jossey‐Bass, San Francisco, CA
Fitzpatrick AL, Powe NR, Cooper LS, Ives DG, Robbins JA (2004) Barriers to health care access among the elderly. AJPH 94(10):1788–1794
Institute of Medicine (2002) Unequal treatment: confronting racial and ethnic disparities in health. National Academy Press, Washington, DC
Millman M (ed) (1993) Access to health care in America. National Academy Press, Washington, DC
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© 2006 Springer-Verlag
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Quill, B.E. (2006). Access to Health Care. In: Loue, S.J., Sajatovic, M. (eds) Encyclopedia of Aging and Public Health. Springer, Boston, MA. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-0-387-33754-8_3
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