California has made a substantial investment in enrolling uninsured children into the Healthy Families and Medi-Cal programs. The assumption is that insurance coverage eliminates barriers to health services; however, no one has investigated what happens to Asian and Pacific Islander (API) children after enrollment and assessed the effectiveness of insurance coverage in providing access to actual services. There is also the question of the ability of California’s current insurance and managed care system to absorb and provide appropriate care for all the API children being enrolled. This research examines the effectiveness of California’s children’s insurance programs in increasing access to health care for API immigrant populations and explores factors which effect access to services. The research design includes a prospective follow-up of 200-250 Healthy Families or Medi-Cal enrollees among the Korean, Filipino, and Vietnamese communities in Los Angeles county. Families will be surveyed six months after enrollment to assess experiences in accessing services. The relationship between insurance coverage and utilization of services for this population will be examined. Information collected includes general access variables such as the families’ acculturation level, language, education, and income, and system variables such as the availability of culturally and linguistically appropriate services. Preliminary results find that access problems persist. Findings indicate that although enrollees are promised a wide selection of providers, actual choices in their geographic areas are limited, or providers with the appropriate language capacities are unavailable. The system is not in place to provide appropriate care to a geographically and linguistically diverse population.
Learning Objectives: At the conclusion of the session, the participant in this session will be able to: 1) Differentiate between health care coverage and health care access. 2) List three non-insurance barriers to health care services faced by Asian and Pacific Islander immigrant families
Keywords: Access to Care, Asian and Pacific Islander
Presenting author's disclosure statement:
Organization/institution whose products or services will be discussed: None
I do not have any significant financial interest/arrangement or affiliation with any organization/institution whose products or services are being discussed in this session.