Trends In Health Insurance Coverage Research Articles

Health insurance coverage in low-income and middle-income countries: progress made to date and related changes in private and public health expenditure.

IntroductionSeveral low-income and middle-income countries (LMICs) have implemented health insurance programmes to foster accessibility to healthcare and reduce catastrophic household health expenditure. However, there is little information regarding the population coverage of health insurance schemes in LMICs and on the relationship between coverage and health expenditure. This study used open-access data to assess the level of health insurance coverage in LMICs and its relationship with health expenditure.MethodsWe searched for health insurance data for all LMICs and combined this with health expenditure data. We used descriptive statistics to explore levels of and trends in health insurance coverage over time. We then used linear regression models to investigate the relationship between health insurance coverage and sources of health expenditure and catastrophic household health expenditure.ResultsWe found health insurance data for 100 LMICs and combined this with overall health expenditure data for 99 countries and household health expenditure data for 89 countries. Mean health insurance coverage was 31.1% (range: 0%–98.7%), with wide variations across country-income groups. Average health insurance coverage was 7.9% in low-income countries, 27.3% in lower middle-income countries and 52.5% in upper middle-income countries. We did not find any association between health insurance coverage and health expenditure overall, though coverage was positively associated with public health spending. Additionally, health insurance coverage was not associated with levels of or reductions in catastrophic household health expenditure or impoverishment due to health expenditure.ConclusionThese findings indicate that LMICs continue to have low levels of health insurance coverage and that health insurance may not necessarily reduce household health expenditure. However, the lack of regular estimates of health insurance coverage in LMICs does not allow us to draw solid conclusions on the relationship between health insurance coverage and health expenditure.

Access to Health Insurance and Health Care for Hispanic Children in the United States

Health insurance gives families access to medical services and protects them against the costs of illness and medical treatment. Insured children are more likely than their uninsured peers to use medical services, preventive health services, have a usual source of care, and have fewer unmet medical needs. In this article, we review trends in health insurance coverage for Hispanic children and the factors that influence their coverage. We then discuss health care utilization among Hispanic children and barriers to health care utilization. We conclude with a discussion of strategies to improve Hispanic children’s health care access in the age of COVID-19.

Access to care and health insurance coverage for workers with disabilities: Outcomes by state-level responses to the ACA

BackgroundStates had flexibility in their implementation of the Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act (ACA) Medicaid expansions, which may have led to variation in coverage and changes in access to care for workers with disabilities. Objective/hypothesisTo examine differential trends in health insurance coverage and access to care among workers with disabilities by states’ decisions about expanding Medicaid under the ACA. MethodsWe aggregated data from the National Health Interview Survey into groups by time period relative to ACA implementation: pre-ACA (2006–2009), early ACA (2010–2013), and later ACA (2014–2017). We produced health insurance and access statistics for each time period, by state-level Medicaid expansion status. ResultsUninsurance rates decreased after 2014 in all states, regardless of the state’s decision whether to expand Medicaid. There was a substantial increase after 2014 in the share of workers with disabilities covered by Medicaid in states that expanded in that year; in other states, workers with disabilities experienced larger increases in privately purchased coverage. At the same time, the share of workers with disabilities reporting cost-related barriers to care declined markedly in 2014 Medicaid expansion states, but it increased slightly in the non-expansion states. Structural barriers to accessing care increased in all states, with the smallest increase in 2014 expansion states. ConclusionsMedicaid coverage and cost-related access to care improved significantly among workers with disabilities in 2014 Medicaid expansion states, both overall and relative to workers with disabilities in non-expansion states.

Effect of the COVID-19 pandemic on health insurance coverage among trauma patients: a study of six level I trauma centers

BackgroundIncreased unemployment during the COVID-19 pandemic has likely led to widespread loss of employer-provided health insurance. This study examined trends in health insurance coverage among trauma patients during the COVID-19...

A National Survey of Trends in Health Insurance Coverage of Low-Income Adults Following Medicaid Expansion.

A National Survey of Trends in Health Insurance Coverage of Low-Income Adults Following Medicaid Expansion.

Regional Differences In Coverage Among American Indians And Alaska Natives Before And After The ACA.

Understanding regional variation in the effect of the Affordable Care Act (ACA) on health insurance coverage among vulnerable populations such as American Indian and Alaska Native adults has important policy implications. We used American Community Survey data for the period 2010-17 to examine unadjusted trends in health insurance coverage among American Indians and Alaska Natives across ten US regions. In each region we also used multivariate regression to evaluate the effects of the ACA on insurance coverage among American Indians and Alaska Natives and differences in effects between that group and non-Hispanic whites. In the West we observed significant improvements in public insurance among American Indians and Alaska Natives, and disparities compared to non-Hispanic whites were reduced following the ACA. Although there were unadjusted increases in insurance coverage across most regions, regression analyses suggested that there were no significant post-ACA changes in public or private health insurance coverage among American Indians and Alaska Natives in the Oklahoma, Bemidji, or Alaska regions. In sum, health insurance among American Indians and Alaska Natives increased after the ACA, but improvements were not consistent across regions. More attention is needed to improve insurance coverage among American Indians and Alaska Natives in midwestern regions.

Health insurance coverage: the peruvian case since the universal insurance act

To describe the trends in health insurance coverage (HIC) in Peru during the period 2009-2017 and evaluate associations with demographic, social and economic factors. We carried out a secondary data-analysis from the Peruvian National Household Survey. For each year, we estimated the global HIC, for the Integral Health Insurance (SIS) and the Social Security system (EsSalud). In addition, we performed a trend analysis. For 2009 (Universal Health Insurance Act), 2013 (health care reform act) and 2017, we used a polytomous variable for the insurance type (SIS/EsSalud/Non-affiliated). We performed logistic multinomial regressions to estimate relative prevalence ratios (RPR) and their 95% CI with correction for complex sampling. We observed an increasing trend in the global HIC (2009:60.5%; 2013:65.5%; 2017:76.4%), SIS coverage (2009:34%; 2013:35.4%; 2017:47%) and EsSalud coverage (2009:22.8%; 2013:26.4%; 2017:26.3%). Multinomial logistic regressions showed that being a woman increased the likelihood to be affiliated to the SIS (RPR= 2009:1.64 and 2017:1.53), while people between 18 and 39 years old, living in Lima Metropolitan area under non-poverty conditions reduced the likelihood to be affiliated to the SIS (RPR= 2009:0.16 and 2017:0.31; 2009:0.17 and 2017:0.37; 2009:0.51 and 2017:0.53; respectively). Furthermore, being a woman, 65 years old or over, living in urban Lima, and under non-poverty conditions increased the likelihood of being affiliated with the EsSalud (RPR= 2013:1.12 and 2017:1.24; 2013:1.32 and 2017:1.34; 2009:2.18 and 2017:2.08; 2009:2.14 and 2017:2.54; 2009:3.57 and 2017:2.53; respectively). HIC has increased during the period 2009-2017. However, the characteristics of those affiliated are different between the various types of health insurance.

Trends in Health Insurance and Type Among Military Veterans: United States, 2000–2016

To describe long-term national trends in health insurance coverage among US veterans from 2000 to 2016 in the context of recent health care reform. We used 2000 to 2016 National Health Interview Survey data on veterans aged 18 to 64 years to examine trends in insurance coverage and uninsurance by year, income, and state Medicaid expansion status. We also explored the current proportions of veterans with each type of insurance by age group. The percentage of veterans with private insurance decreased from 70.8% in 2000 to 56.9% in 2011, whereas between 2000 and 2016 Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) health care coverage (only) almost tripled, Medicaid (without concurrent TRICARE or private coverage) doubled, and TRICARE coverage of any type tripled. After 2011, the percentage of veterans who were uninsured decreased. In 2016, low-income veterans in Medicaid expansion states had double the Medicaid coverage (41.1%) of low-income veterans in nonexpansion states (20.1%). Our estimates, which are nationally representative of noninstitutionalized veterans, show marked increases in military-related coverage through TRICARE and VA health care. In 2016, only 7.2% of veterans aged 18 to 64 years and 3.7% of all veterans (aged 18 years or older) remained uninsured.

Trends in Health Insurance Coverage of Title X Family Planning Program Clients, 2005-2015.

The federal Title X Family Planning Program supports the delivery of family planning services and related preventive care to 4 million individuals annually in the United States. The implementation of the 2010 Affordable Care Act's (ACA's) Medicaid expansion and provisions expanding access to health insurance, which took effect in January 2014, resulted in higher rates of health insurance coverage in the U.S. population; the ACA's impact on individuals served by the Title X program has not yet been evaluated. Using administrative data we examined changes in health insurance coverage among Title X clinic patients during 2005-2015. We found that the percentage of clients without health insurance decreased from 60% in 2005 to 48% in 2015, with the greatest annual decrease occurring between 2013 and 2014 (63% to 54%). Meanwhile, between 2005 and 2015, the percentage of clients with Medicaid or other public health insurance increased from 20% to 35% and the percentage of clients with private health insurance increased from 8% to 15%. Although clients attending Title X clinics remained uninsured at substantially higher rates compared with the national average, the increase in clients with health insurance coverage aligns with the implementation of ACA-related provisions to expand access to affordable health insurance.

Trends in Disparities in Low-Income Children's Health Insurance Coverage and Access to Care by Family Immigration Status

ObjectiveTo examine time trends in disparities in low-income children's health insurance coverage and access to care by family immigration status. MethodsWe used data from the National Survey of Children's Health in 2003 to 2011–2012, including 83,612 children aged 0 to 17 years with family incomes <200% of the federal poverty level. We examined 3 immigration status categories: citizen children with nonimmigrant parents; citizen children with immigrant parents; and immigrant children. We used multivariable regression analyses to obtain adjusted trends in health insurance coverage and access to care. ResultsAll low-income children experienced gains in health insurance coverage and access to care from 2003 to 2011–2012, regardless of family immigration status. Relative to citizen children with nonimmigrant parents, citizen children with immigrant parents had a 5 percentage point greater increase in health insurance coverage (P = .06), a 9 percentage point greater increase in having a personal doctor or nurse (P < .01), and an 11 percentage point greater increase in having no unmet medical need (P < .01). Immigrant children had significantly lower health insurance coverage than other groups. However, the group had a 14 percentage point greater increase in having a personal doctor or nurse (P < .01) and a 26 percentage point greater increase in having no unmet medical need (P < .01) relative to citizen children with nonimmigrant parents. ConclusionsSome disparities in access to care related to family immigration status have lessened over time among children in low-income families, although large disparities still exist. Policy efforts are needed to ensure that children of immigrant parents and immigrant children are able to access health insurance and health care.

Health insurance coverage for persons in HIV care, 2006-2012.

We examined trends in health insurance coverage among 36,999 HIV-infected adults in care at 11 US HIV clinics between 2006 and 2012. Aggregate health insurance coverage was stable during this time. The proportions of patient-years with private, Medicaid, Medicare, and no insurance during this period were 15.9%, 35.7%, 20.1%, and 28.4%, respectively. Medicaid coverage was more prevalent among women than men, blacks, and Hispanics than whites, and individuals with injection drug use risk compared with other transmission risk factors. Hispanics and younger age groups were more likely to be uninsured than other racial/ethnic and older age groups, respectively.

National Trends in Health Insurance Coverage of Pregnant and Reproductive-Age Women, 2000 to 2009

PurposeHealth insurance facilitates financial access to health services, including prenatal and preconception care. This study characterized changes in health insurance coverage among reproductive-age women in the United States from 2000 to 2009. MethodsData from female respondents (ages 18–49) to the National Health Interview Surveys, 2000 to 2009 (n = 207,968), including those pregnant when surveyed (n = 3,204), were used in a repeated cross-sectional design. Changes over time were estimated using longitudinal regression models. Main FindingsOf the reproductive-age women in this study, 25% were uninsured at some point in the prior year. Ten percent of pregnant women reported currently being uninsured, and 27% and 58% reported Medicaid coverage or private health insurance, respectively. Among women who were not pregnant, 19% were currently uninsured, 8% had Medicaid, and 68% had private coverage. From 2000 to 2009, an increasing percentage of reproductive-age women reported having gone without health insurance in the past year. Controlling for sociodemographic and health variables, the chances that a reproductive-age woman had been uninsured increased by approximately 1.5% annually (p < .001), and did not differ between pregnant women and those who were not pregnant. The odds that an insured pregnant woman had Medicaid coverage increased 7% per year over the study period (p < .001), whereas the odds of private coverage decreased. ConclusionReproductive-age women are increasingly at risk of being uninsured, which raises concerns about access to prenatal and preconception care. Among pregnant women, access to private health insurance has decreased, and state Medicaid programs have covered a growing percentage of women. Health reform will likely impact future trends.

Emergency Department Eye Care in Florida

To describe trends in health insurance coverage for emergency department (ED) eye care in Florida from January 1, 2005, through December 31, 2009. The Florida Agency for Health Care Administration ED data sets for ED outpatient visits and ED admissions for eye care were analyzed for type of insurance coverage and stratified according to age younger than 18 years and 18 years or older. Negative binomial regression models were used to measure the percentage of change in payer distribution for each 1-year increase in calendar year. During the 5-year study period, commercial insurance was the most frequent payer of ED outpatient services (31.1%), followed by self-pay (26.2%) and Medicaid (22.0%). For persons younger than 18 years, Medicaid and self-payment made up 67.7% of principal payers. For outpatient ED visits, the percentage of change in Medicaid increased 5.9% for each calendar year (P < .001) and commercial coverage declined 4.5% (P < .001 ). The proportion of Florida residents receiving Medicaid during the study period was less than the national average. A substantial proportion of ED eye care in Florida is reimbursed through Medicaid or is paid for out of pocket. How the Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act of 2010 and the national economic recovery will affect safety-net institutions such as EDs and hospital staff is speculative, but the effect could be substantial.

Health Insurance and Access to Care for Families with Young Children in California, 2001–2005: Differences by Immigration Status

To examine differences and trends in health insurance coverage and access to care for California families by immigration status. Cross-sectional data on 37,236 families with young children <18 years of age from the 2001, 2003 and 2005 California Health Interview Survey are used to assess trends in health insurance and access to care for children and their parents by four immigration dyads: (1) both are Citizens; (2) child is a legal resident/citizen, and parent is legal resident (Documented); (3) child is a citizen, and parent is undocumented (Mixed); and (4) both are Undocumented. Before and after adjustment for covariates, only children in Undocumented dyads were less likely than Citizen dyads to have insurance (OR = 0.20, CI: 0.16-0.26) and all three measures of access: physician visits (OR = 0.69, CI: 0.52-0.91), dental visits (OR = 0.47, CI: 0.35-0.63), and a regular source of care (OR = 0.51, CI: 0.37-0.69). Parents in all non-Citizen dyads had poorer access than Citizen dyads across all measures, with the exception of dental visits and a regular source for parents in Documented dyads. Children of all dyads except Citizens were more likely to be insured in 2005 vs. 2001. The largest gain was for undocumented dyad children with 2.77 times higher odds (CI: 1.62-4.75) of being insured in 2005 vs. 2001. All children dyads except Mixed were also more likely to have a physician visit. For parents, there was only a decrease in insurance coverage for Citizen dyads (OR = 0.79, CI: 0.67-0.93) and few changes in access. Conclusions While there were relatively few disparities and some improvements in insurance coverage and access for children in California (except for undocumented children), concomitant changes for parents were not observed. Without attention to the family in health care reforms, disparities may not fully resolve for children and may continue or even increase for parents.

Twelve-Year Trends In Health Insurance Coverage Among Latinos, By Subgroup And Immigration Status

We examine twelve-year trends in the Latino uninsured population by ethnic subgroup and immigration status. From 1993 to 1999, most Latino subgroups, particularly Puerto Ricans, had large decreases in Medicaid coverage. For some subgroups these were offset by increases in employer coverage, but not for Mexicans, resulting in a four-percentage-point increase in their uninsured population. During 2000-2004, Medicaid/SCHIP expansions benefited most subgroups and mitigated smaller losses in employer coverage. However, during 1993-2004, the percentage of noncitizen Latinos lacking coverage increased by several percentage points. This was attributable to Medicaid losses during 1993-1999 and losses in employer coverage during 2000-2004.

Adolescent health insurance coverage: recent changes and access to care.

To assess the health insurance status of adolescents, the trends in adolescent health care coverage, the demographic and socioeconomic correlates of insurance coverage, and the role that insurance coverage plays in influencing access to and use of health care. Together, the results provide a current and comprehensive profile of adolescent health insurance coverage. We analyzed data on 14 252 adolescents, ages 10 to 18 years, included in the 1995 National Health Interview Survey. The survey obtained information on insurance coverage and several measures of access and utilization, including usual source of care, site of the usual source of care, indications of missed or delayed care, and use of ambulatory physician services by adolescents. We conducted multivariate analyses to assess the independent association of age, sex, race, poverty status, family structure, family size, region of residence, metropolitan resident status, and health status on the likelihood of insurance coverage. We conducted bivariate and multivariate analyses to ascertain how insurance coverage was related to each of the access and utilization measures obtained in the survey. We also examined trends in health insurance coverage using the 1984, 1989, and 1995 editions of the National Health Interview Survey. An estimated 14.1% of adolescents were uninsured in 1995. Risk of being uninsured was higher for older adolescents, minorities, adolescents in low-income families, and adolescents in single parent households. Compared with their insured counterparts, uninsured adolescents were five times as likely to lack a usual source of care, four times as likely to have unmet health needs, and twice as likely to go without a physician contact during the course of a year. Between 1984 and 1995 the percentage of adolescents with some form of health insurance coverage remained essentially unchanged. During this period, the prevalence of private health insurance decreased, while the prevalence of public health insurance increased. This study demonstrates the critical importance of health insurance as a determinant of access to and use of health services among adolescents. It also shows that little progress has been made during the past 15 years in reducing the size of the uninsured adolescent population. The new State Children's Health Insurance Program could lead to substantial improvements in access to care for adolescents, but only if states implement effective outreach and enrollment strategies for uninsured adolescents.adolescents, health insurance, access, Medicaid, SCHIP.

Trends in health insurance coverage, 1989-1997.

The authors analyze trends in health insurance coverage in the United States from 1989 through 1997, using cross-sectional surveys by the U.S. Census Bureau (Current Population Survey) of 160,000 persons representative of the non-institutionalized population. Between 1989 and 1997, the number of people without health insurance increased by 10.1 million to 43.4 million. From 1989 to 1993, the proportion covered by Medicaid increased by 3.6 percentage points while the proportion covered by private insurance declined by 4.2 percentage points. Since then, private coverage rates have stabilized and Medicaid coverage has decreased. Consequently, the number and percent uninsured continues to rise. Young adults age 18-39 had the largest increase in the proportion uninsured, and rates among children have also risen steeply since 1992. While blacks had the largest increase in the percent uninsured, Hispanics accounted for 35.6 percent of the increase in the number uninsured. Low-income families constituted over half of the increase in the number uninsured, but since 1993 the middle income group had the largest increase in the percent uninsured. Northeastern states had the largest increase in the percent uninsured. Thus, despite economic prosperity, the numbers and rates of the uninsured continue to rise. Principally affected are children and young adults, poor and middle-income families, blacks, and Hispanics.

Counting the uninsured using state-level hospitalization data.

To assess the appropriateness of using state-level data on uninsured hospitalizations to estimate the uninsured population. The authors used 1992-1996 data on hospitalizations of newborns and of appendectomy and heart attack patients in Florida to estimate the number of people in the state without health insurance coverage. These conditions were selected because they usually require hospitalization and they are common across demographic categories. Adjusted for the gender and ethnic composition of the population, the percentages of uninsured hospitalizations for appendectomies and heart attacks produced estimates of the state's uninsured population 1.6 percentage points lower than those reported for 1996 in the US Census March Current Population Survey. Data reported by hospitals to state agencies can be used to monitor trends in health insurance coverage and provides an alternative data source for a state-level analysis of the uninsured population.

Going bare: trends in health insurance coverage, 1989 through 1996.

This study analyzed trends in health insurance coverage in the United States from 1989 through 1996. Data from annual cross-sectional surveys by the US Census Bureau were analyzed. Between 1989 and 1996, the number of uninsured persons increased by 8.3 million (90% confidence interval [CI] = 7.7, 8.9 million). In 1996, 41.7 million (90% CI = 40.9, 42.5 million) lacked insurance. From 1989 to 1993, the proportion with Medicaid increased by 3.6 percentage points (90% CI = 3.1, 4.0), while the proportion with private insurance declined by 4.2 percentage points (90% CI = 3.7, 4.7). From 1993 to 1996 private coverage rates stabilized but did not reverse earlier declines. Consequently, the number uninsured continued to increase. The greatest increase in the population of uninsured [corrected] was among young adults aged 18 to 39 years; rates among children also rose steeply after 1992. While Blacks had the largest percentage increase, Hispanics accounted for 36.4% (90% CI = 32.3%, 40.5%) of the increase in the number uninsured. From 1989 to 1993, the majority of the increase was among poor families. Since then, middle-income families have incurred the largest increase. Northcentral and northeastern states had the largest increases in percent uninsured. Despite economic prosperity, the numbers and rates of the uninsured continued to rise. Principally affected were children and young adults, poor and middle income families, blacks, and Hispanics.

The Effects of Medicaid Expansions on Insurance Coverage of Children

In the Winter 1995 issue of The Future of Children, the Child Indicators article examined recent trends in health insurance coverage for children. A major conclusion of that article was that the proportion of children covered by private, employment-based health insurance has been declining in recent years while changes in the rules for eligibility for Medicaid have made that program increasingly important for children. Nearly eight million more children were covered by Medicaid in 1993 than in 1988, largely as a result of the eligibility expansions. However, the number of uninsured children grew by about one million during that same period.