The Access Project (TAP) is a three-year national project supported by The Robert Wood Johnson Foundation and affiliated with the Heller Graduate School at Brandeis University. TAP has created a new protocol, "Community Self-Assessment of Health Care for the Uninsured,” to assist community-based coalitions concerned with the adequacy of access to and the quality of health care for this population. Working with five communities, the first set of interviews with 250 uninsured indicated high rates of self reported problems with waiting times for appointments (62%), limited knowledge of provider efforts to reach out to communities, and 30% reporting leaving without obtaining medication because they could not afford it. Over 50% reported great difficulty in paying for care, one quarter stated they would not use that facility if they were insured. A second application of the protocol during 2000 is being expanded to include an estimated 5000 uninsured. The presentation will report these results and their implications, and will discuss the design for community-based use of the protocol and interpretation of results for local level objectives.
Learning Objectives: 1.) Understand the magnitude of the health care access and quality challenges facing uninsured in communities across the US. 2.) Have a better understanding of the uninsured issue in the selected communities 3.) Understand the process of evaluating provider access and quality of care for the uninsured
Keywords: Access to Care, Community Health Assessment
Presenting author's disclosure statement:
Organization/institution whose products or services will be discussed: The Access Project/Brandeis University
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.