Health Insurance Sources for Nonelderly Patient Visits to Physician Offices, Hospital Outpatient Departments, and Emergency Departments in the United States

Abstract

The authors used data from nationally representative surveys to estimate health insurance sources for non-elderly patient visits to U.S. physicians. Results show that hospital emergency departments attract a greater share of ambulatory care visits by uninsured patients than by patients with either Medicaid or private insurance. Results also show that hospital outpatient departments attract a greater share of visits by uninsured patients or patients with Medicaid than by patients with private insurance. The annual visit rate of uninsured individuals for nonemergency care is less than half of that for individuals with either private insurance or Medicaid. The proportion of uninsured emergency department visits by individuals between the ages of 0 and 64 years was significantly greater than the proportion of uninsured individuals between the ages of 0 and 64 years. In contrast, the proportion of uninsured physician office visits by individuals between the ages of 0 and 64 years was significantly less than the proportion of uninsured individuals between the ages of 0 and 64 years.

Keywords:

• emergency department
• National Ambulatory Care Survey
• National Hospital Ambulatory Care Survey
• uninsured