Having access to healthcare helps people stay healthy and prevent further medical issues. However, not everyone has access to it because of certain circumstances. Luckily, there are solutions to these problems that can help improve access to healthcare for everyone.

AMNY Health Marketing provides strategized solutions and capabilities to healthcare businesses to help their business grow, reach new patients, and expand healthcare access in their area. Here, we discuss some of the problems and solutions impacting healthcare access.

Healthcare Access Problems

Everyone knows that their health is important to take care of – but the truth is, not everyone has access to healthcare to do so. Without access to healthcare, people can experience unmet health needs, delays in receiving care, and ultimately worse health outcomes. Some of the main problems impacting access to healthcare include:

Lack of Transportation

One of the most prominent barriers to healthcare access is a lack of transportation for arriving to appointments. In rural areas, people don’t have access to the same modes of public transportation as those in cities. In low-income areas, many people don’t have cars to get to their appointments, especially if they are further away.

Often, transportation barriers can keep patients from seeing their doctors, even when they have a primary care physician (PCP) and can schedule an appointment. According to American Hospital Association, 3.6 million people in the United States each year do not obtain medical care due to transportation issues, making transportation barriers one of the main reasons for preventing access to healthcare.

High Healthcare Costs

Another major barrier to healthcare access is its high cost for people with and without insurance. For people with health insurance, the high deductibles and out-of-pocket costs can add up and lead to delaying or forgoing necessary appointments. Uninsured individuals may skip appointments altogether because of high costs, leading to worse health outcomes and even higher costs in the long run.

According to a December 2021 poll by West Health and Gallup, nearly 30% of Americans mention high out-of-pocket healthcare costs as a barrier to treatment. This is why it is such a big problem impacting healthcare access.

Implicit Bias and Discrimination

Another factor often affecting healthcare access is the implicit bias and discrimination experienced by people of color. Racial discrimination in past policies like redlining has led to inequalities in healthcare access in Black neighborhoods, resulting in unequal healthcare outcomes.

A study from April 2021 by Robert Wood Johnson Foundation and Urban Institute found that 10% of Black patients reported discrimination during a healthcare encounter. These kinds of negative experiences can lead to distrust in the healthcare industry and discourage people of color from accessing care.

These are some of the main problems preventing widespread access to healthcare in the U.S.

Solutions to Healthcare Access Problems

Although the problems of healthcare access can seem daunting to fix, AMNY Health Marketing provides insights and solutions that can help improve access for these patients, including:

Transportation Solutions

For patients who face transportation barriers, many medical offices offer telehealth services where patients can receive care virtually. Some facilities have also started providing medical transport services or partnered with rideshare companies to help patients get to appointments.

Financial Solutions

For patients who may be avoiding healthcare for financial reasons, there are a few ways for healthcare facilities to help improve access. Consider enacting policies or practices like expanded office hours, telehealth, and sliding-scale fees that help patients save money and afford healthcare.

Social Solutions

To address patients with decreased access due to implicit bias in health care, healthcare facilities can offer mobile clinics in underserved neighborhoods, complete training on implicit bias and serving diverse populations, and provide consistent, positive branding to the community to combat mistrust.

Working with a healthcare marketing agency like AMNY Health Marketing can help you practice to enable these solutions to improve access to healthcare in your community and achieve success in your marketing efforts.

Market Your Healthcare Business and Improve Healthcare Access

Improving patient access to healthcare helps to prevent chronic diseases and supports positive health outcomes. If you want to help do that in your community, work with AMNY Health Marketing to market your business to local patients who need healthcare. Our marketing strategists use data science, recruitment marketing, content creation, and more tools to help increase your clients and access to healthcare in your community. Contact us today to learn more about how we can help you.