Access to Reproductive Health Care for Adolescents and Young Adults in the United States

Jillian T. Henderson, University of California, San Francisco
Cynthia C. Harper, University of California, San Francisco

The most effective methods for preventing pregnancy require health care visits, yet access is uneven in the U.S. Young women face particular challenges, being at a life-stage characterized by new reproductive health care needs and shifting life circumstances. We use NSFG data to examine predictors of reproductive health care use in adolescent and young adult women ages 15-25 who report being sexually active, but are not pregnant, postpartum, or actively trying to conceive. Women 24-26 were most likely to have experienced a lapse in insurance coverage in the past year. Adolescents with public health insurance had the highest odds of health care use, and having private insurance was not significantly associated with use. For young adult women, being insured with public or private insurance increased the odds of health care use. Public health insurance programs facilitate reproductive health care use, particularly for adolescents.