Is health care use equivalent across social groups? A diagnosis-based study.

Previous studies of medical care utilization have controlled for medical need by signs or symptoms or broad disease classifications. The present study uses both symptoms and discrete diagnoses to control for medical need in order to determine if the use of ambulatory and hospital care differs by race, income, education, insurance coverage, or region. Using data from the 1976 National Health Interview Survey, we found that there were no consistent differences in the number of physician visits made in a year by these characteristics, medical need held constant. Lack of insurance coverage was associated with fewer hospitalizations in a year for five of nine chronic diseases under review. Race was associated with fewer hospitalizations for two conditions prevalent among minorities. These effects were not evident when medical need was controlled solely by signs or symptoms.