Uninsured More Likely to Face Unfair Treatment in Medical Setting: Report

By Zach Schonfeld

According to a report from the Urban Institute, nonelderly adults who lack health insurance or are enrolled in public coverage are over five times more likely than privately insured adults to report unfair treatment in health care settings. The report indicates that unfair treatment due to coverage type was reported by 9.6% of uninsured adults and 7.4% of publicly insured adults, compared to just 1.3% of privately insured adults. "Experiences of unfair treatment in health care settings have been associated with unmet health needs that can result in poorer health care quality and contribute to health inequities," said the report. "The higher rates of unfair treatment experienced by publicly insured and uninsured adults could have many causes, including providers' and office staff members' biases, payment and administrative barriers in Medicaid and affordability issues facing uninsured people."

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