Objectives
We examined differences in the quality of health care provided by usual source of
care providers between women with and without disabilities in the United States. The
role of health insurance in ensuring equitable quality of care for women with disabilities
was investigated.
Methods
A national sample of 12,199 women aged 18–64 was drawn from the 2002 Medical Expenditure
Panel Survey. Descriptive and multivariate analyses were performed to investigate
the interactive associations of disability and insurance coverage with accessibility,
satisfaction and adequacy of care among women.
Results
Compared with women without disabilities, women with disabilities were more likely
to experience lower quality of care in terms of accessibility of care, satisfaction
with care, and adequate receipt of care. This diminished quality of care for women
with disabilities was alleviated, but only to a limited extent, by health insurance
coverage. A significant difference remained in the quality of care between the 2 insured
subgroups.
Conclusions
Having health insurance was strongly associated with improved access to care and reduced
unmet or delayed care among women with disabilities in the United States. In addition
to an expansion of public insurance program eligibility, the quality of care provided
under the public insurance system needs to be ensured to maximize appropriate and
timely care for women with disabilities.
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Biography
The authors are with the Division of Social Policy and Human Resources, KDI School of Public Policy and Management, and the Graduate School of Governance, Sungkyunkwan University, Seoul, South Korea.
Article info
Publication history
Accepted:
February 13,
2008
Received:
April 19,
2007
Identification
Copyright
© 2008 Jacobs Institute of Women's Health. Published by Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.
