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The Importance of Distinguishing Hispanic Subpopulations in the Use of Medical Care
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1987
Year
EthnicityHealth Care DisparityHealth DisparitiesDistinguishing Hispanic SubpopulationsSocial Determinants Of HealthRacial DisparitiesMedical CareLatino/a StudiesHispanic StudiesHealth InequalityHispanic HealthLatin American SocietyHealth InequityMultivariate ComponentPublic HealthHealth Services ResearchHealth PolicyHealth InsuranceVarious Hispanic SubgroupsHealth EquitySingle-payer Health InsuranceHomogeneous PopulationHealth EconomicsSocial EpidemiologyHealth Care CostMedicineHealth Disparity
The study estimates national medical care use for Cubans, Puerto Ricans, and Mexicans separately using the 1977 National Medical Care Expenditure Survey, rather than treating Hispanics as a single group. The authors analyze utilization of physician, hospital, and prescription services, insurance coverage, and annual expenses by payment source, employing descriptive and multivariate methods. Puerto Ricans are most likely to have Medicaid coverage, highest annual expenses, and the greatest likelihood of a physician visit, while Cubans are most often privately insured and Mexicans fall in between, with visit counts per patient equal across groups.
Rather than analyzing Hispanics as a homogeneous population, this paper uses the 1977 National Medical Care Expenditure Survey in order to make separate national estimates for Cubans, Puerto Ricans, and Mexicans. Utilization of various health services by these three groups is discussed, as well as their insurance coverage, mean annual expenses by source of payment, and health status indicators. The analysis has a descriptive as well as multivariate component and focuses specifically on the use of physician and hospital services and prescribed medicines. It is found that Puerto Ricans are almost twice as likely as Mexicans, and over four times as likely as Cubans, to be covered by Medicaid; Cubans, on the other hand, are most often privately insured. Of the three groups, Puerto Ricans have the highest annual expenses and are most likely to have at least one physician visit. The number of visits for those with a visit, however, is identical across the groups. The paper discusses the policy implications of these findings, as well as the methodologic implications of classifying various Hispanic subgroups into one all-encompassing category.