Patient satisfaction with care in programs for low income individuals

Although a variety of public and private programs provide care for low-income individuals, little is known about patient satisfaction across these programs. The objective of this study was to examine patient satisfaction across a variety of health insurance programs. A survey was conducted of randomly selected adults in Kentucky who had an outpatient visit in the past 12 months (616 with private insurance, 683 Medicaid recipients, 287 in private sector charity program for uninsured indigents). Patient satisfaction with multiple dimensions of their most recent outpatient visit was assessed. All insurance groups were generally satisfied with the care received in their most recent visit. For all 8 dimensions of patient satisfaction, the private insurance group was significantly higher than the other groups. In a model controlling for standard demographic and health status variables, higher overall satisfaction with the visit was positively related to higher income and higher mental health functional status. The insurance category variable had no significant relationship to overall satisfaction with the visit. Although patients receiving care through health insurance programs for low-income individuals are generally satisfied with the services, there is an indication that low-income individuals, regardless of insurance type, are less satisfied with the care they receive.