Many Hispanics Shut Out of U.S. Health Care System

"Among people who have health insurance, 19 percent lacked a usual health care provider, compared to 42 percent of people who lack health insurance," Livingston said.

Curiously, many Hispanics who don't have a usual health care provider were born in the United States and are educated, and 45 percent have health insurance, Livingston said. "This suggests that it's not only financial reasons that are keeping Latinos from doctors," she added.

Among those who did seek regular care, more than 75 percent said their care was "good" or "excellent," Livingston said. Those with positive experiences typically had a usual health care provider and health insurance.

"Among those people who reported they were not satisfied with their health care, the most common reason why they received poor health care was financial," Livingston said. "They felt that their health care professional did not provide good care because they did not have the means to pay for the health care."

About 8 percent of Hispanics, mostly those who live near the Mexican border, said they crossed the border for their health care. This was particularly common among people who rated their U.S. health care as poor, Livingston said.

Another aspect of the survey dealt with how Hispanics get their medical information. "About a third of Hispanics get their medical information from doctors," Susan Minushkin, deputy director at the Pew Hispanic Center, said during the teleconference.

Women, older Hispanic men, more educated Hispanics, those born in the United States, and those with insurance and a usual care provider are more likely to get their medical information from doctors, Minushkin said.

Many Hispanics get their health care information from Spanish television and radio, Minushkin said. Hispanics who are bilingual or English speakers and better educated and younger tend to get health information from the Internet, she added.

More information

For more on Hispanics and health care, visit the Pew Hispanic Center.

SOURCES: Aug. 12, 2008, teleconference with Gretchen Livingston, senior researcher, and Susan Minushkin, deputy director, Pew Hispanic Center, Washington, D.C.; William Vega, Ph.D., professor of family medicine, David Geffen School of Medicine, UCLA; Aug. 13, 2008, Pew Hispanic Center/Robert Wood Johnson Foundation survey