Publication
Disparities and Barriers to Utilization among Minnesota Health Care Program Enrollees
This report presents findings from a statewide survey of 4,626 Minnesota Health Care Program (MHCP) enrollees conducted either by mail or by telephone between July and December 2008. This survey was funded by the Minnesota Department of Human Services and had four major goals. The first was to identify and describe barriers to, and experiences with, health care among adults and children who receive health insurance through Minnesota Health Care Programs (MHCP). A second goal was to identify and describe similarities and differences in the use of health services, as well as factors that discourage the use of services among specific race/ethnic groups including African Americans (US born), Native American, Hispanic/Latino, Somali, Hmong, and European Americans. A third goal was to identify changes in utilization of care and the types of barriers people experienced between 2003 and 2008. (A similar study was undertaken in 2003.) The final goal was to develop recommendations based on the results of the survey with community input for improving the delivery of health care services to MHCP enrollees and reducing disparities in access and quality. June 2009.