Racial/ethnic differences in children's access to care

Objectives. This study explored reasons for racial and ethnic differences i n children's usual sources of care. Methods. Data from the 1996 Medical Expenditure Panel Survey were examined by means of logistic regression techniques. Results. Black and Hispanic children were substantially less likely than Wh ite children to have a usual source of care. These differences persisted af ter control for health insurance and socioeconomic status. Control for lang uage ability, however, eliminated differences between Hispanic and White ch ildren. Conclusions. Results suggest that the marked Hispanic disadvantage in child ren's access to care noted in earlier studies may be related to language ab ility.