Getting Health Care and Talking to Your Doctor

Minority Women's Health > Asian-Americans > Health Topics > Getting Health Care and Talking to Your Doctor

Many women can't get the right health services, medicines, and supplies when they need them. Some reasons for this include:

• not having health insurance and/or being able to afford it
• not having a way to get to a doctor
• having physical limitations that make it hard to get to a doctor
• lack of child care
• not being able to take time away from work
• not understanding the language

Asian American/Pacific Islander women have low breast and cervical cancer screening rates compared to other groups of women, and lower cholesterol and blood pressure screening rates than the national average. Native Hawaiian women have high rates of overweight and obesity compared to other women.

About 17 percent of Asian-American/Pacific Islanders do not have health insurance, compared to 16 percent of all Americans. Even with health insurance, traditional health methods such as acupuncture and herbal medicines often are not covered by insurance. Asian-American women are more likely to report using traditional health practices and medicines than Asian-American men.

Speaking little or no English can be a major barrier to getting needed health care. While this language barrier affects all health care, it is of serious concern for Asian-American/Pacific Islander women with mental health issues. Nearly one out of two Asian-American/Pacific Islanders with mental health disorders will have problems using mental health treatment because they do not speak English or can't find services that meet their language needs. Fear of not being able to communicate, combined with the stigma of mental illness, may keep Asian-Americans from getting treatment.

Additional Resources

Publications

1.   Find a Health Center — This Internet site allows users to search a database of health centers offering low-cost health services to underserved populations. Users can search by address or by county.

   http://findahealthcenter.hrsa.gov/

2.   Improving Health Care Quality: A Guide for Patients and Families — This research-based guide provides information that consumers need when making decisions about health plans, doctors, treatments, hospitals, and long-term care.

   http://www.ahrq.gov/consumer/qntlite/

3.   Insure Kids Now! — Insure Kids Now! is a national campaign that links the nation's uninsured children, from birth to age 18, to free and low-cost health insurance.

   http://www.insurekidsnow.gov/

4.   Questions and Answers About Health Insurance: A Consumer Guide — This guide describes different kinds of health insurance plans and answers common questions. There is a glossary of health insurance terms as well as a list of resources for more information.

   http://www.ahrq.gov/consumer/insuranceqa/

5.   Talking With Your Doctor: A Guide for Older People — This brochure is a guide to helping older adults communicate easily and effectively with their physicians about their health.

   http://www.niapublications.org/pubs/talking/index.asp

Organizations

1.   Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality, OPHS, HHS
2.   CDC's WISEWOMAN — Well-Integrated Screening and Evaluation for Women Across the Nation
3.   Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services, HHS
4.   Health Resources Services Administration Information Center
5.   National Breast and Cervical Cancer Early Detection Program, NCCDPHP, CDC
6.   Office of Minority and Women's Health, CDC, HHS
7.   Office of Minority Health, OPHS, OS, HHS
8.   The White House Initiative on Asian Americans and Pacific Islanders
9. American Diabetes Association
10. American Hospital Association
11. Asian Pacific Fund

= Indicates Federal Resources

Content last updated May 18, 2010.