Access to Health Services Workgroup

Access to comprehensive, quality health care services is important for promoting and maintaining health, preventing and managing disease, reducing disability and premature death, decreasing health disparities, and achieving health equity for all Americans. Important components of access include insurance coverage, timeliness of care, and accessibility of primary and preventive health care services.

Medical, dental, and prescription drug insurance coverage, tracked in the first 3 Access to Health Services objectives, help ensure financial access to health care. Individuals with insurance coverage are more likely to have a regular source of care and to receive important preventive health services. The next 3 objectives track whether individuals have difficulty obtaining necessary medical or dental care and prescription drugs. These objectives serve as indicators of the magnitude of financial and service barriers affecting patients’ access to care and of the health care system’s capacity to provide timely access. The last 3 core objectives assess efforts to improve access to primary care providers, appropriate clinical preventive services, and emergency medical services. Seeing a primary care provider and receiving preventive care are important for preventing disease, maintaining health, and lowering health care costs. The emergency department provides essential services when patients are seriously ill or injured, and prolonged wait times are associated with delays in care and dissatisfaction.

The AHS Workgroup also selected 3 high-priority issues as research objectives. These focus on the capacity of the primary care and behavioral health workforce, the use of telehealth to improve access, and the proportion of people younger than 65 years who are underinsured. As more data and evidence become available, these research objectives may become core objectives.