Disparities in the Health Status and Access to Care in the US

This is the second post on a series on health disparities. Read the first article.

In general, the health of the American population has improved over recent years. However, 17 percent of Latino and 16 percent of African-Americans report they are in fair or poor health in comparison to 10 percent to white Americans. Access to consistent, quality health care services may be a factor. Some of the statistics from the Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality (AHRQ):

• 30 percent of Latino and 20 percent of African-Americans lack a usual source of health care.

• Latino children are nearly three times as likely as non-Latino white children to not have a usual source of health care.

• African-Americans (16%) and Latino Americans (13%) are more likely to rely on hospitals and clinics for their usual source of care.