A study conducted through the 2021 Medical Expenditure Panel Survey (MEPS) (1) found that 6.2% of US non-institutionalized adults lacked reliable transportation, which caused them to miss medical appointments. According to the American Hospital Association (2), missing medical appointments can lead to delayed care, increased health care expenditures, including increased hospitalizations, and poorer health outcomes. As with many other areas of health care, barriers to reliable transportation are closely connected to other social determinants of health like poverty, social isolation, access to education, and racial discrimination.
1 Wu X, Decker SL. Lack of Reliable Transportation for Daily Living Among Adults: United States, 2021. Statistical Brief #558. AHRQ Publication No. 25-0017-1-EF. Rockville, MD: Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality; November 2024. https://meps.ahrq.gov/data_files/publications/st558/stat558.shtml
2 Health Research & Educational Trust. (2017, November). Social determinants of health series: Transportation and the role of hospitals. Chicago, IL: Health Research & Educational Trust. Accessed at www.aha.org/transportation