Policy challenges for the pediatric rheumatology workforce: Part I. Education and economics

Table 1 Determinants of Access to US Pediatric Specialty Care [1–3]

Determinant	Promotes	Obstructs
Income	> 200% federal poverty level (FPL)^‡	100-200% FPL ("near poor")
Race	White	Minority status or ethnicity
Transportation	Reliable	Inadequate
Parental education	High school diploma or higher	Failure to complete high school
Patient age	2-5 or 13-17 year olds	6-12 year olds
Geographic proximity*	Urban location	Distant location
Medical insurance^Δ	Present	Absent or under-insured
Cultural or language differences	Absent	Present

^‡ Gross annual income for family of 2 at 100% FPL: in the lower 48 states & District of Columbia = $14,710; in Alaska = $18,380; in Hawaii = $16,930 [4].
*Geographic proximity to care does not invariably lead to access.
^Δ Although coverage improves the likelihood of access, it is not a guarantee.

ISSN: 1546-0096