Usual Source of Care

In 2008–2010, 88.3 percent of women reported having a usual source of care (a place where one usually goes when sick, such as a physician's office or health center), compared to 79.0 percent of men (data not shown in graph images or in data tables on this site). Having a usual source of care is more common among older adults. For example, nearly all women aged 65 years and older (97.2 percent) had a usual source of care compared to 80.9 percent of women aged 18–34 years (data not shown in graph images or in data tables on this site). Having a usual source of care has been shown to improve care quality and the receipt of preventive services.¹

Overall, non-Hispanic White women were most likely to report a usual source of care (90.1 percent), while Hispanic women were least likely to do so (80.8 percent; data not shown in graph images or in data tables on this site). The proportion of women of different races and ethnicities who have a usual source of care varied by health insurance coverage. Overall, approximately 94 percent of women with private or public insurance had a usual source of care compared to 59.6 percent of uninsured women. Among women with private or public insurance, those reporting a usual source of care exceeded 90 percent for all racial and ethnic groups. Women lacking health insurance were least likely to have a usual source of care, with significant variation by race and ethnicity. Among women without health insurance, non-Hispanic American Indian/Alaska Native, non-Hispanic White, and non-Hispanic Black women were most likely to report a usual source of care (71.7, 64.0, and 61.3 percent, respectively), while only about half of uninsured Hispanic, non-Hispanic women of multiple races, and non-Hispanic Asian women had a usual place to go when they were sick. Having both a usual source of care and health insurance coverage has been found to significantly reduce problems obtaining needed medical care and delaying or forgoing needed care.²

1 Blewett LA, Johnson PJ, Lee B, Scal PB. When a usual source of care and usual provider matter: adult prevention and screening services. J Gen Intern Med. 2008 Sep;23(9):1354-60. Epub 2008 May 28.

2 DeVoe JE, Tillotson CJ, Lesko SE, Wallace LS, Angier H. The case for synergy between a usual source of care and health insurance coverage. J Gen Intern Med. 2011 Sep;26(9):1059-66. Epub 2011 Mar 16.

This image is described in the Data section.