Healthcare Access

Purpose

To measure access to healthcare among adults 18 years and older.

Key Information

Percentage of adults who are uninsured, have no doctor, experience cost barriers to seeing a doctor, and have not had a recent checkup (lower values are preferred on all measures)

  • Uninsured: Respondent has no health care coverage, including health insurance, prepaid plans such as HMO's; government plans such as Medicare, or Indian Health Service.
  • No doctor: Respondent has no one person as a personal doctor or health care provider.
  • Can't afford: Respondent needed to see a doctor but could not because of cost, in past 12 months.
  • No checkup: Respondent had no routine checkup in past 12 months. This does not include exams conducted for a specific injury, illness, or condition.

Related Health Topics

Contact

Cali McAtee

cali.mcatee@health.ri.gov

Rhode Island Numbers 2022

Rhode Island compared to United States

  • The percentages of Rhode Island adults who are uninsured, have no doctor, experience cost barriers to seeing a doctor, and have not had a checkup in the past 12 months are lower than the US adult population.

By Gender

  • Men are significantly more likely to be uninsured, have no doctor, and not have had a checkup in the past 12 months compared with women.

By Age

  • Younger adults are more likely to be uninsured, have no doctor, experience cost barriers to seeing a doctor, and not have had a checkup in the past 12 months compared with older adults.

By Race / Ethnicity

  • White, non-Hispanic adults have fewer barriers to access healthcare than other racial/ethnic groups.
  • The prevalence of being uninsured, having no doctor, and experiencing cost barriers to seeing a doctor are highest among Hispanic adults compared with all other racial/ethnic groups.

By Health Status

  • Adults reporting fair or poor health were significantly more likely to experience cost barriers to seeing a doctor compared with their peers of good or better health.

By Smoking Status

  • Cigarette smokers were significantly more likely than non-smokers to be uninsured, have no primary care provider, experience cost barriers to seeing a doctor, and to have not had a checkup in the past year.