Hargraves J Lee
Track Rep. 2004 Oct(11):1-6.
Overall health insurance rates changed little among nonelderly black, Latino and white Americans between 2001 and 2003, according to new findings from the Center for Studying Health System Change (HSC). But sources of coverage shifted--especially for Latinos--from employment-based insurance to public coverage, suggesting the economic downturn took a greater toll on Latinos. Low-income Latinos and whites were particularly hard hit by declines in employer coverage. Shifting sources of coverage had little effect on access to medical care. With the sole exception of decreased access to specialists among blacks, access to care did not change between 2001 and 2003. Significant gaps in access to care among Latinos, blacks and whites persisted, with Latinos and blacks consistently reporting lower levels of access than whites.
根据医疗体系变革研究中心（HSC）的最新研究结果，2001年至2003年间，美国非老年黑人、拉丁裔和白人的总体医疗保险费率变化不大。但保险覆盖来源发生了转变——尤其是拉丁裔——从基于就业的保险转向了公共保险，这表明经济衰退对拉丁裔造成了更大的影响。低收入的拉丁裔和白人受雇主保险覆盖率下降的影响尤为严重。保险覆盖来源的转变对获得医疗服务的影响不大。除了黑人获得专科医生服务的机会减少外，2001年至2003年间获得医疗服务的情况没有变化。拉丁裔、黑人和白人在获得医疗服务方面仍存在显著差距，拉丁裔和黑人报告的获得医疗服务水平一直低于白人。
