Employment-Related Constraints: Determinants of Primary Health Care Access?

This study examines the extent to which sick pay, job flexibility, and availability of after-hours care affect low-income workers’ ability to access primary health care services in a rural north central Florida community (n = 77). Workers with paid leave were as likely to report difficulty accessing health care as workers without paid leave; having more job flexibility, however, significantly reduced workers’ odds of experiencing difficulty accessing sick and preventive care. Reported difficulty leaving work to obtain sick care was also strongly associated with a perceived need for after-hours care. Full-time workers who were ill, did not have the flexibility of leaving work during regular working hours, and had no access to after-hours care reported the greatest difficulty accessing primary health care services.