Having a usual source of medical care is associated with a number of favorable health behaviors and outcomes, including receiving recommended screening and prevention services. Due to limited transportation options, rural residential status, being uninsured, or other socioeconomic factors, millions of people in the United States do not have a usual source of medical care. This can result in missed or delayed diagnoses, reliance on expensive (and often preventable)
emergency department visits for medical care and
forgone (or skipped) care, which can lead to
higher health care costs in the long term.
Monitoring data on the percent of people who have a usual source of medical care is therefore a key step in determining which regions and population groups disproportionately lack access to the regular care they need.
Had Usual Source of Medical Care by State, Coverage Type, and More: Breakdowns and Data Source
State Health Compare provides state-level estimates of the percent of individuals who had a usual place of medical care other than the emergency department during the past twelve months using data from the National Health Interview Survey (NHIS).
Two breakdowns are available for this measure: Age and Coverage Type.
