Health Counts in Wisconsin
Wisconsin Children's Access to Health Care 1996
National research has shown that good access to health care is facilitated by
insurance and a stable source and provider of care. Access may be
hindered by barriers of distance, transportation, and work and child-care conflicts. Good
access translates into good preventive health care, such as timely checkups and dental
care. This report presents information from a telephone survey conducted between July
1995 and June 1996. One person in each sampled household provided information about all
children and adults in the household. Typically, the respondent in a household with
children was their mother. N=3,024.
CURRENT HEALTH INSURANCE COVERAGE
|
|
Uninsured |
Medicaid |
Private |
Total |
| All Children |
9% |
10% |
81% |
100% |
| 0-5 |
9% |
16% |
75% |
100% |
| 6-11 |
9% |
9% |
82% |
100% |
| 12-17 |
8% |
6% |
86% |
100% |
|
|
|
|
|
| Family poverty status: |
|
|
|
|
| Poor |
25% |
52% |
23% |
100% |
| Near-poor |
13% |
10% |
77% |
100% |
| Not poor |
4% |
2% |
94% |
100% |
|
|
|
|
|
| Residence: |
|
|
|
|
| Milwaukee City |
17% |
28% |
55% |
100% |
| Other metropolitan areas |
6% |
7% |
88% |
100% |
| Non-metropolitan non-farm |
7% |
8% |
85% |
100% |
| Non-metropolitan farm |
28% |
8% |
64% |
100% |
|
|
|
|
|
| Racial/ethnic group: |
|
|
|
|
| White, non-Hispanic |
7% |
6% |
87% |
100% |
| African American |
23% |
42% |
34% |
100% |
| Other non-Hispanic |
17% |
23% |
60% |
100% |
| Hispanic |
7% |
16% |
77% |
100% |
CONTINUITY OF HEALTH INSURANCE
|
|
Total |
Age Groups |
|
0-17 |
0-5 |
6-11 |
12-17 |
| Over the past 12 mos. this child was: |
|
|
|
|
| Continuously insured |
91% |
88% |
92% |
92% |
| Intermittently insured |
6% |
9% |
6% |
5% |
| Continuously uninsured |
3% |
3% |
3% |
4% |
| Total |
100% |
100% |
100% |
100% |
USUAL SOURCE AND PROVIDER FOR CHILDREN'S
ROUTINE HEALTH CARE
|
|
|
Current Insurance Coverage |
|
Total |
Uninsured |
Medicaid |
Private |
| Usual source of care: |
|
|
|
|
| Has no usual source |
2% |
9% |
3% |
2% |
| Has multiple sources |
2% |
5% |
4% |
1% |
| Has one usual source |
96% |
86% |
93% |
97% |
| Total |
100% |
100% |
100% |
100% |
| Those with usual source(s) of care (98%): |
|
|
|
|
- Usual source is hospital ER
|
1% |
4% |
2% |
<1% |
- Does not usually see same doctor
|
12% |
20% |
8% |
11% |
- Parent does not feel comfortable asking doctor questions
|
3% |
3% |
6% |
3% |
- Transportation takes more than 30 minutes
|
11% |
10% |
21% |
10% |
- Usual wait more than 30 minutes
|
15% |
16% |
32% |
13% |
UTILIZATION OF HEALTH CARE PROVIDERS
|
|
|
Current Insurance Coverage |
|
Total |
Uninsured |
Medicaid |
Private |
| In past year child: |
|
|
|
|
- Needed medical care but did not get it
|
1% |
2% |
1% |
1% |
- Was seen by a medical doctor
|
84% |
71% |
91% |
85% |
- Received care from a nurse or NP
|
24% |
10% |
24% |
26% |
- Received care from a physician assistant
|
12% |
6% |
14% |
12% |
- Received care from a mental health professional
|
6% |
6% |
14% |
5% |
|
|
|
|
|
| If ill in past two weeks (7%): |
|
|
|
|
| Child saw doctor |
49% |
51% |
63% |
47% |
|
|
|
|
|
| Parent believes immunizations not current: |
|
|
|
|
| Age 0-2 |
7% |
-- |
13% |
6% |
| Age 3-5 |
5% |
-- |
8% |
4% |
UTILIZATION OF HEALTH CARE FACILITIES
|
|
|
Current Insurance Coverage |
|
Total |
Uninsured |
Medicaid |
Private |
| In past year child treated at: |
|
|
|
|
| An emergency room |
18% |
13% |
29% |
17% |
| An urgent care center |
12% |
6% |
10% |
13% |
| A hospital overnight |
7% |
3% |
13% |
6% |
BARRIERS TO PREVENTIVE HEALTH CARE
|
|
|
Current Insurance Coverage |
|
Total |
Uninsured |
Medicaid |
Private |
| Had no general physical in past year: |
35% |
43% |
20% |
35% |
| 0-5 |
16% |
24% |
14% |
15% |
| 6-11 |
45% |
48% |
33% |
46% |
| 12-17 |
41% |
55% |
16% |
41% |
|
|
|
|
|
| Those with physical in past year (65%): |
|
|
|
|
| Amount paid by insurance: |
|
|
|
|
| None |
17% |
36% |
4% |
17% |
| Some |
40% |
24% |
12% |
45% |
| All |
43% |
40% |
84% |
38% |
| Total |
100% |
100% |
100% |
100% |
|
|
|
|
|
| Had problem getting appointment: |
|
|
|
|
|
|
8% |
7% |
11% |
8% |
- For a convenient time or day
|
10% |
11% |
9% |
10% |
|
|
|
|
|
| Had a problem getting transportation |
2% |
6% |
3% |
1% |
|
|
|
|
|
| Used public transportation |
4% |
9% |
20% |
1% |
|
|
|
|
|
| If adult went with child (96%): |
|
|
|
|
- Had to take time off from work
|
27% |
26% |
23% |
28% |
- Lost some wages (if took time off)
|
40% |
51% |
75% |
34% |
|
|
7% |
4% |
16% |
6% |
|
|
|
|
|
| Had no dental checkup in past year (age 3+) |
14% |
28% |
28% |
11% |
|
|
|
|
|
| Did have dental checkup in past year: |
85% |
69% |
71% |
88% |
| Amount paid by insurance: |
|
|
|
|
| None |
23% |
38% |
10% |
22% |
| Some |
39% |
28% |
11% |
42% |
| All |
38% |
34% |
78% |
35% |
| Total |
100% |
100% |
100% |
100% |
ADDITIONAL INFORMATION
The Wisconsin Family Health Survey is a statewide random sample telephone
survey of all household residents, which collects information about health
status, use of health care services, and health problems. The information
presented here is based on 3,024 persons age 17 and younger from FHS
interviews conducted between July 1995 and June 1996.
Survey results were weighted to account for both the sample design and
nonresponse.
Survey results are presented for all children age 17 and under and by the
"current health insurance coverage" of the children. Current
insurance status was determined form a series of questions which asked about
coverage by private health insurance, Medicaid, and programs which include
Medicaid enrollment (Healthy Start, AFDC, and SSI). Although current
insurance status does not perfectly match children's status in the past, it
is relatively stable. Insurance status is well established in the research
literature as the most fundamental mediator of access to health care. The
Medicaid population is underrepresented in a telephone survey; differences
between Medicaid- and privately-insured children are probably greater than
shown in these analyses.
"Family poverty status" uses the federal poverty levels (FPL)
based on size and self-reported family income. "Poor" are below
100% of FPL, "near poor" have incomes between 100% and 200% of
FPL, and non-poor" have incomes greater than 200% of FPL.
Percents in the first sections sum to 100% across each row with rounding.
All other percentages are percents of the column category, with rounding.
"Don't knows" and refusals are included in the calculation of
percentages. The confidence interval (CI) around each percentage depends
upon the number of observations in the column category and the percentage
itself. Percentages of "Uninsured" and "Medicaid"
children have CIs of about ±2% to 6%. For the "Private" insurance
group, the CI is about ±1% to 2%.
As of January 1, 1996, there were an estimated 1,348,000 children in
Wisconsin. There were 414,000 children ages 0-5, 459,000 children ages 6-11
and 475,000 children ages 12-17.
Last Revised: June 25, 2008 |
