Access to Care
Access to health care includes medical, dental and mental health care. There are many aspects to having access to care. Coverage (having health insurance) is essential but does not ensure access. It is also necessary to have comprehensive coverage, including preventive services, providers that accept the individual’s insurance, relatively close geographic location of providers to patients, and services from a usual and ongoing source
Additional barriers to care that may need to be addressed include: transportation to the provider's office, long waits to get an appointment, lack of knowledge about the importance of preventive care, low health literacy, co-pays, and language barriers.
Health Insurance Coverage in Ocean County
Data from the American Community Survey, conducted by the U.S. Census Bureau, shows that Ocean County has a slightly higher rate of health insurance coverage than New Jersey and the nation as a whole. This data is from the ACS's 5-year estimates, covering the period between 2013 and 2017, and so may not account for more recent trends in coverage.
To see data on Ocean County's municipalities, select a location from the menu below.
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Provider Availability in Ocean County
Having a usual and ongoing source of primary care is associated with: greater patient trust in the provider, good patient-provider communication, and increased likelihood that the patient will receive appropriate care. It can lead to better health outcomes, fewer disparities, and lower costs.
Sources: US Department of Health & Human Services, Health Resources and Services Administration, Area Health Resource File (Dentists and Primary Care Physicians, 2015); CMS, National Provider Identification (Mental Health Care Providers, 2017).
Barriers to Access in New Jersey
The CDC collects state-level data about health care access and utilization with its Behavioral Risk Factor Surveillance System (BRFSS), conducted annually. The following chart shows the percent of respondents on these topics related to lack of access, broken down by various demographics and other characteristics like educational attainment and income.
About the Data
Health insurance coverage data is from the American Community Survey, conducted by the U.S. Census Bureau. The data are 5-year estimates (2013-2017) from Table DP03, "Selected Economic Characteristics." This report uses the Census Bureau Data API but is not endorsed or certified by the Census Bureau.
Provider availability data, accessed via the CARES Engagement Network, is from two sources: US Department of Health & Human Services, Health Resources and Services Administration, Area Health Resource File (Dentists and Primary Care Physicians, 2015); CMS, National Provider Identification (Mental Health Care Providers, 2017).
Barriers to access data for New Jersey is from the CDC's Behavioral Risk Factor Surveillance System. For the indicator "No Doctor Visit in the Past Year," percentages were calculated by adding together responses of longer than one year to the survey question "About how long has it been since you last visited a doctor for a routine checkup?" The rest of the indicators in this chart were reported directly by the source.