Table 2.3: People who have a usual primary care provider a, by education b, United States, 2012
Population characteristics Less than High School High School Some college
Percent Standard Error Percent Standard Error Percent Standard Error
Total 67.6 1.0 71.1 0.9 75.1 0.6
Age in years
Under 65 61.6 1.1 65.9 1.0 71.8 0.7
18-44 57.8 1.4 55.6 1.3 64.1 1.0
45-64 69.0 1.5 79.0 1.2 81.8 0.8
65 and over 87.3 1.9 91.2 1.2 92.3 0.8
Sex
Male 61.0 1.3 64.5 1.1 71.4 0.8
Female 73.9 1.2 77.8 1.0 78.4 0.7
Race/ethnicity
Hispanic or Latino (of any race) 57.9 1.5 57.5 1.7 63.9 1.3
White, Non-Hispanic, single race 74.8 1.6 75.8 1.1 78.2 0.7
Black, Non-Hispanic, single race 68.1 1.7 65.1 1.5 70.3 1.4
Asian, Non-Hispanic, single race 72.8 3.2 61.0 4.4 64.9 2.3
Other single races/multiple races, Non-Hispanic -- -- 72.7 4.7 75.7 3.8
Health insurance status c
<65, Any private 77.3 1.7 74.9 1.2 76.0 0.8
<65, Public only 71.1 1.7 74.8 1.7 76.6 2.0
<65, Uninsured 34.6 1.7 35.6 1.4 42.6 1.8
65+, Medicare only 87.1 2.5 87.6 1.9 91.6 1.4
65+, Medicare and private 88.4 4.0 93.7 1.3 92.6 1.1
65+, Medicare and other public 88.2 2.2 92.7 3.1 93.5 2.3
65+, Missing -- -- -- -- -- --
Poverty status d
Negative or Poor 61.2 1.5 61.8 1.7 64.9 1.8
Near-poor 67.6 2.7 64.6 2.8 67.2 2.7
Low income 63.8 1.9 67.1 1.8 69.8 1.6
Middle income 71.5 1.7 72.1 1.5 72.9 1.0
High income 78.2 2.7 79.2 1.4 79.4 0.9
Metropolitan statistical area (MSA)
MSA 67.1 1.1 69.8 0.9 74.9 0.7
Non-MSA 70.0 2.6 76.6 2.5 77.4 2.6
Census Region
Northeast 74.4 2.7 76.0 1.9 81.3 1.5
Midwest 73.4 2.4 75.6 1.9 78.4 1.4
South 64.5 1.6 66.9 1.4 70.9 1.0
West 64.1 2.0 69.8 2.0 73.8 1.2
Perceived Health Status
Excellent 61.1 2.2 61.0 1.6 70.1 1.1
Very Good 64.9 1.9 69.3 1.4 75.7 0.9
Good 68.3 1.5 75.1 1.3 77.4 1.0
Fair 73.5 2.1 77.6 1.9 81.2 1.5
Poor 81.8 2.7 87.2 2.1 82.8 2.9
a A usual primary care provider is defined as the source of care that a person usually goes to for new health problems, preventive care, and referrals to other health professionals.
b Includes persons age 18 and over only. "Less than high school" refers to fewer than 12 years of education; "high school graduate", 12 years of education; and "at least some college", more than 12 years of education.
c Uninsured refers to persons uninsured during the entire year. Public and private health insurance categories refer to individuals with public or private insurance at any time during the period; individuals with both public and private insurance and those with Tricare (Armed-Forces-related coverage) are classified as having insurance.
d Poor refers to incomes below the Federal poverty line; near poor, over the poverty line through 125 percent of the poverty line; low income, over 125 percent through 200 percent of the poverty line; middle income, over 200 percent to 400 percent of the poverty line; and high income, over 400 percent of the poverty line.
-- Less than 100 sample cases.
* Relative standard error equal to or greater than 30%.
Source: Center for Financing, Access and Cost Trends, Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality: Medical Expenditure Panel Survey, 2012