As of 2019, 34 million Americans live in poverty – 10.5 percent of the population (United States Census Bureau, 2020). The rates nearly double among minority populations with a poverty rate for Black Americans at 18.8 percent and Hispanics 15.7 percent (United States Census Bureau, 2020). Poverty is well established to have a negative impact on health outcomes (Santiago, 2012; McWilliams, 2009). The Affordable Care Act (ACA) significantly expanded Medicaid coverage and access to care for low-income families in the United States; however, access to basic health services still remains elusive amongst this population (Arvisais-Anhalt et al, 2018; Allen et al, 2014). This study aimed to determine the factors that prevent low-income individuals/families from receiving affordable and equitable healthcare and how a free clinic setting can impact the low-income healthcare experience. This was an interview-based research study consisting of 30-minute interviews of open-ended questions with low-income patients. The study gained approval from the IRB at Miami University – the governing body that aims to ensure moral and ethical compliance of human subject research. Our preliminary findings suggest that low-income patients are concerned that they are not receiving the same level or quality of care as higher-income or fully insured patients would.
Author: Shannon Ryan
Faculty Advisors: Cameron Hay-Rollins, Anthropology; Paul Flaspohler, Psychology
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