The Great American Recession and forgone healthcare: Do widened disparities between African-Americans and Whites remain?

ABSTRACT:

Objective

During the Great Recession in America, African-Americans opted to forgo healthcare more than other racial/ethnic groups. It is not understood whether disparities in forgone care returned to pre-recession levels. Understanding healthcare utilization patterns is important for informing subsequent efforts to decrease healthcare disparities. Therefore, we examined changes in racial disparities in forgone care before, during, and after the Great Recession.

Design

Data were pooled from the 2006-2013 National Health Interview Survey. Forgone medical, mental, and prescription care due to affordability were assessed among African-Americans and Whites. Time periods were classified as: pre-recession (May 2006-November 2007), early recession (December 2007-November 2008), late

SUBMITTER: Travers JL 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC5744961 | biostudies-literature | 2017

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature