Self-Reported Health and Healthcare Disparity among the Medicaid Population

Publication Date: 6/1/2007

Description:

Reducing disparity in health care is one of the goals established by Healthy People 2010, a report that identifies disease prevention and promotion objectives for the nation to achieve during the first decade of this century (US Department of Health and Human Services, 2000). Numerous efforts have been undertaken to reduce health disparities based on race and ethnicity. Despite these initiatives, disparity continues to be a concern in both health and mental health care. According to the Surgeon General's Report supplement (US DHHS, 2001), minorities are less likely to receive mental health services and more likely to receive poorer quality of care than nonminorities when they do receive mental health services. Unfortunately, individuals with mental illnesses are also more likely to experience complex physical health conditions, which are largely undiagnosed and untreated and may cause or exacerbate psychiatric symptoms (Felker, Yazel, & Short, 1996; Goldman, 2000; Lambert, Velakoulis, & Pantelis, 2003; Sokal et al., 2004). Therefore, this study examines disparity in mental health care within the context of two highly prevalent physical health conditions: diabetes in adults and asthma in children.