Journal of the American College of Radiology : JACR
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Comparative Study
Imaging and insurance: do the uninsured get less imaging in emergency departments?
On average, Americans without health insurance receive fewer health care services than those with insurance. The specific types of services for which the uninsured face access and utilization deficits are not well understood. The authors describe the use of imaging tests in hospital emergency departments (EDs) by nonelderly patients, comparing uninsured, Medicaid, and non-Medicaid insured individuals. ⋯ These results suggest that insurance status influences how much imaging and the intensity of imaging patients receive. Further research is needed to understand whether insured patients receive unnecessary imaging or if uninsured and Medicaid patients receive too little imaging.