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Health Care Access

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Access to health care refers to the ease with which an individual can obtain needed medical services. RAND research has examined the social, cultural, economic, and geographic factors that influence health care access worldwide; the effects of changes in access; and the relationship between access and health for specific U.S. populations—including racial and ethnic minorities, people with limited English proficiency, the uninsured, the elderly, children, and veterans.

Commentary
A Potential Backslide in Mental Health Care for Millions of Americans
The expiration of the COVID-19 Public Health Emergency declaration will have broad-sweeping effects, and one of the most significant is little known: It could begin undoing the expansion of mental health care access for millions of Americans.
Apr 18, 2023
Research Brief
How Does Telehealth Affect Health Care Quality, Access, Equity, and Costs?
Early in the COVID-19 pandemic, health care providers pivoted to telehealth out of necessity. As policymakers look beyond the pandemic, concerns about telehealth's effects on health care spending and quality persist.
May 11, 2023

Explore Health Care Access

Journal Article
Association Between Insurance Type and Fluoride Varnish Application During Well-Child Visits in Massachusetts
We compare rates of fluoride varnish (FV) applications during well-child visits for children covered by Medicaid and private medical insurance in Massachusetts.
Jun 22, 2023
Journal Article
Rural Disparities in the Quality of Clinical Care Are Notable and Larger for Males
This study extends evidence of pronounced rural-urban differences in clinical care. It shows that quality gaps in clinical care for rural MA enrollees are often larger for males than females.
Jun 22, 2023
Journal Article
Advance Care Planning Among Sexual Minority Men: Sociodemographic, Health Care, and Health Status Predictors
There is a dearth of contemporary information about advance care planning among sexual minority men, a population with disparities in health care and health status. We sought to address some of these gaps in a large, longitudinal cohort.
Jun 21, 2023
Testimony
Geographic Availability of Substance Use Disorder Treatment for Veterans
Far too many Americans, and especially veterans, fail to receive treatment for substance use disorder. Improved data collection on the availability and accessibility of treatment could help increase the number of veterans who get treatment and prevent unnecessary drug overdose deaths.
Jun 14, 2023
News Release
State Policies During COVID Associated with Increase in Tele-Mental Health; Disparities in Access to Care Persist Despite Expansion
Four state policies introduced during the COVID-19 pandemic to spur expansion of telehealth were associated with expansion of such services by mental health facilities, but growth of telehealth was lower among facilities in counties with the greatest proportion of Black residents.
Jun 13, 2023
Journal Article
Geographical Access to Specialized Behavioral Health Treatment Programs for U.S. Active Duty Service Members and Military Families from Military Installations
The purpose of this study is to determine geographical access to specialized behavioral health programs tailored to active duty U.S. service members and military families from military installations.
Jun 1, 2023
Blog
Extremism, Medicaid, Florida's 'Don't Say Gay' Law: RAND Weekly Recap
This weekly recap focuses on addressing domestic extremism, managing reductions in Medicaid enrollment, the effects of Florida's “Don't Say Gay” law, and more.
May 19, 2023
News Release
Treatment for Opioid Use Disorder Rises After Medicare Expands Coverage for Methadone
The use of methadone among Medicare beneficiaries to treat opioid use disorder increased sharply after the program began covering the drug, with evidence suggesting the change created new treatment rather than displacing use of other medications.
May 19, 2023
Commentary
Can the Health Insurance System Handle Massive Medicaid Reductions?
For many who have or will soon lose Medicaid as monthly redeterminations restart, and for millions more who could lose insurance due to other factors like job loss, three recent policy developments might increase the chances that they find new health care coverage.
May 12, 2023
Journal Article
Barriers and Facilitators to Home- and Community-Based Services Access for Persons With Dementia and Their Caregivers
Barriers to HCBS access for persons with dementia range from community and infrastructure barriers (e.g., clinicians and cultural differences), to interpersonal and individual-level barriers (e.g., caregivers, awareness, and attitudes).
May 4, 2023
Journal Article
The Health Plan Environment in California Contributed to Differential Use of Telehealth During the COVID-19 Pandemic
Examining the patient and health plan differences in use of telehealth during the COVID-19 pandemic, this study highlights the role of health plan and provider differences in driving disparities in access to telehealth services.
May 4, 2023
Essay
Mental Health First Aid: Training People to Help Others
An innovative program trains and empowers people to not look away from those experiencing mental illness, but to listen to them, reassure them, and encourage them to get help. Most trainees of the program in New York City were still using what they had learned five years later.
May 3, 2023
Journal Article
Changes in In-Person, Audio-Only, and Video Visits in California's Federally Qualified Health Centers, 2019-2022
The decline in audio-only visits from the early pandemic peak appears to coincide with the return of in-person visits rather than growth in video visits.
Apr 25, 2023
News Release
Audio-Only Telehealth Remains Common At Many Safety Net Clinics
In August 2022, more than two years into the COVID-19 pandemic, audio-only telehealth visits still accounted for 1 in 5 primary care visits and 2 in 5 mental health care visits at safety net clinics in California.
Apr 11, 2023
Journal Article
Design of CLARO (Collaboration Leading to Addiction Treatment and Recovery from Other Stresses): A Randomized Trial of Collaborative Care for Opioid Use Disorder and Co-Occurring Depression And/Or Posttraumatic Stress Disorder
This article describes the CLARO collaborative care for co-occurring disorders intervention and clinical trial.
Mar 10, 2023
Report
A Needs Assessment of Women Veterans in Western Pennsylvania: Final Report to Adagio Health
To identify opportunities to expand and enhance Adagio Health's efforts to support women veterans' health and wellness, the authors quantitatively and qualitatively assessed the needs of women veterans in the Adagio Health service area.
Mar 8, 2023
Research Brief
Opportunities to Improve Support for Western Pennsylvania’s Women Veterans
Despite their growing numbers, women who have served in the U.S. military continue to encounter challenges accessing the services and support they need. What national and local programs, services, and supports for veterans are available to meet those needs?
Mar 8, 2023
Journal Article
State Approaches to Tackling the Opioid Crisis Through the Health Care System
In this paper, policy experts discuss three broad strategies states are taking, through a variety of policy levers, to enhance the quality of and access to treatment for opioid use disorder.
Feb 8, 2023

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RAND Topic:
Health Care Access

Research conducted by

Researcher Spotlight

Kanaka Shetty

Physician Policy Researcher

Kanaka Shetty is a physician policy researcher at the RAND Corporation. He is also an affiliate faculty member at the Pardee RAND Graduate School and a practicing hospital-based internist. His current research assesses quality measurement programs with a focus on provider impact as well as…
Sangita M. Baxi

Assistant Policy Researcher

Sangita Baxi is an assistant policy analyst at RAND and a doctoral student at the Pardee RAND Graduate School. She has an M.A.S. in health policy and law from the University of California, San Diego, and the California Western School of Law, and a B.S. in biology from the University of Michigan,…

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