ABSTRACT
The Census Bureau has used a variety of classification schemes to determine who should be designated a Hispanic. Reliance on a single criterion, such as self-designation, or multiple criteria, such as language and country of origin, yields ambiguous results. In practice, the 20 million Hispanics in the United States are classified by country of origin. Health care analysts have long understood that the quality of health care available to different groups is influenced by their socioeconomic status, specifically their level of education, occupational achievement, and income. Persons with low income frequently have greater than average need for health care because of the differentially high birthrates and above-average prevalence of specific diseases associated with the populations. The influence of demographic and epidemiologic factors on Hispanics' need and demand for health care services must also be assessed. Locational and institutional factors also influence the ease or difficulty that Hispanic groups experience in obtaining access to health care.
