The effects of race and ethnicity on use of health services by older Americans

This study examined racial and ethnic differences in use of health services by white, African American, and Hispanic elderly people. Using a national representative sample of elderly from the AHEAD study, we estimated a two-part model of health services utilization. We found that African American and Hispanic elderly were more likely to make physician visits than white elderly. Among those who made physician visits, Hispanic elderly made more visits than white elderly. We also found that the effects of factors affecting use of health services varied by race and ethnicity. These results lead us to reject the homogeneity assumption made by many health services researchers.