ACCESS TO MEDICAL CARE

Nearly all of Iowa’s young children (96%) were reported to have a regular source of health care, and very few (1%) reported that their child had an unmet need for medical care in the previous year (i.e., were stopped from getting needed medical care). Although there were no significant differences in having a regular source of care by income, unmet need for care was higher for lower income children. Five percent of low-income children could not get medical care that their parents thought was necessary in the past 12 months.

Thirty-four percent of young children had visited an emergency room (ER) at least one time in the past twelve months. Low-income children were more likely than higher income children to have visited an ER two or more times in the past year (23% of children living below 134% FPL vs. 7% for those over 200%). Primary reasons for ER visits were trauma, including broken bones or stitches (24%), high fever (15%), and ear infections (10%). In 2 out of 5 cases (41%), respondents said that a health care provider told them to go to an emergency room. In two-thirds (68%) of cases, the care could have been provided in a doctor’s office had one been available. For the most part, these children were taken to the ER because the doctor’s office was not open or it was at night or on a weekend (86%).

About one-third of children had parents who worried at least a little about their ability to pay for their child’s health care. Figure 5 shows the discrepancy in the likelihood of having this worry based on income.


Figure 5. Worry about paying for child’s health care by FPL status