Thursday, November 18, 2004

Most Uninsured People Unaware of Health Care Safety Net Providers
An "Issue Brief" from the Center for Studying Health System Change - "Less than half of uninsured Americans either typically use or are aware of a safety net provider in their community, according to a national study by the Center for Studying Health System Change (HSC). Among all uninsured people, those with lower-incomes, racial/ethnic minorities and people living closer to safety net providers are more likely to know of or use a safety net provider for medical care. Uninsured people identify physician offices and community health centers most frequently as sources of lower-cost medical care, while hospital-based facilities—outpatient and emergency departments—are less likely to be mentioned. Despite high levels of emergency department (ED) use by uninsured people, few identify EDs as places to get affordable medical care."  
  

Consumers upset about health care
Detroit News story - "Forty percent of Americans in a survey say the quality of health care has gotten worse in the past five years compared with just 17 percent who see improvement. More than half -- 55 percent -- of the 2,012 adults surveyed by phone between July and September said they are dissatisfied with the quality of health care in the United States, up from 44 percent in a similar survey four years ago..." See also the page at the Kaiser Family Foundation web site, National Survey on Consumers' Experiences With Patient Safety and Quality Information, which provides links to the survey and related materials.