ABSTRACT
INTRODUCTION: The Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act provision implemented policies to improve coverage for young adults. It is not known if it affected access to care among young adults with hypertension. METHODS: National Health Interview Survey data from 2006 to 2009 and 2011 to 2014 were used. Young adults aged 19-25 years were assessed for potential barriers to access to health care. The authors compared the percentage of each indicator of barriers to access to health care among young adults in general, as well as those with hypertension in the two time periods and estimated the AOR. All data were self-reported. The analyses were conducted in 2016. RESULTS: Among young adults, the frequencies of barrier indicators were significantly lower in 2011-2014 than 2006-2009, except "did not see doctor in the past 12 months." Among those with hypertension, the percentage reporting "no health insurance" (31.3% vs 23.3%, p=0.037); "no place to see a doctor when needed" (30.5% vs 21.6%, p=0.031); or "cannot afford prescribed medicine" (23.0% vs 15.3%, p=0.023) were significantly lower in 2011-2014 compared with that of 2006-2009. The differences maintained statistical significance after adjusting for sex, race/ethnicity, and level of education. CONCLUSIONS: Significant differences in select access to care measures were found among young adults with hypertension between 2006-2009 and 2011-2014, as was found among young adults generally. Changes in extension of dependent insurance coverage in 2010 may have led to improvements in access to care among this group.
Subject(s)
Health Services Accessibility/statistics & numerical data , Hypertension/therapy , Insurance Coverage/economics , Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act/economics , Adult , Educational Status , Ethnicity/statistics & numerical data , Female , Health Services Accessibility/economics , Health Services Accessibility/trends , Health Surveys/statistics & numerical data , Health Surveys/trends , Humans , Hypertension/economics , Insurance Coverage/statistics & numerical data , Insurance Coverage/trends , Male , Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act/statistics & numerical data , Self Report , Sex Factors , United States , Young AdultABSTRACT
Statutory authority for public health surveillance is necessarily broad as previously uncharacterized diseases are regularly discovered. This article provides specific information about general disease reporting provisions in each state. The intent of these reporting laws and the Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act Privacy Rule is to support this critical disease surveillance function for the benefit of the entire population.
