The Intersection of Residence and Area Deprivation: The Case of Hospitalizations from Ambulatory Care Sensitive Conditions Among Children

The passing and implementation of the 2010 Affordable Care Act (ACA) ushered in a new era for the delivery of health services in the United States. The broad goals of expanding insurance coverage, controlling health care costs, and improving health care delivery system are ambitious and have implications for providers and the population. Observers have suggested that expanding insurance and decreasing financial barriers for receipt of health services will increase the demand for healthcare; simultaneously, the existing supply of providers remains constrained, as they struggle to accommodate new patients. Prior to the ACA, constrained supply was an existing hurdle for ensuring access to quality primary care services in rural and underserved communities. There is real concern that increasing demand for healthcare services stemming from the ACA could further exacerbate existing challenges in obtaining primary care in rural and underserved communities—particularly for children.