Young adults seeking medical care: do race and ethnicity matter?

KEY FINDINGS Data from the National Health Interview Survey: 2008-2009. More than one-half of Hispanic young adults aged 20-29 years were uninsured in 2008-2009 compared with one-third of non-Hispanic black young adults and almost one-quarter of non-Hispanic white young adults. Among young adults aged 20-29 years, non-Hispanic white (66%) young adults were twice as likely as Hispanic (33%) young adults to have private health insurance coverage. Approximately equal percentages of Hispanic, non-Hispanic white, and non-Hispanic black young adults with private health insurance or Medicaid had a usual source of medical care. Uninsured non-Hispanic white (37%) and non-Hispanic black (33%) young adults were more likely to have unmet medical need than uninsured Hispanic (21%) young adults. Health care disparities among different racial and ethnic subgroups in the United States are of national concern. Health insurance is a key factor in the access to medical care services, and young adults in the United States aged 20-29 years are more likely than adults aged 30 years and over to lack health insurance coverage (1-4). A previous report has examined the differences in health insurance and access to health care by gender among young adults aged 20-29 years (5). This report focuses on the differences in health insurance and access to health care among Hispanic, non-Hispanic white, and non-Hispanic black young adults aged 20-29 years.