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Individual insurance and access to care
1Center for Financing, Access and Cost Trends, Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality, 540 Gaither Road, Rockville, MD 20850, USA. steven.hill@ahrq.hhs.gov
Summary
Americans with individual insurance and employer-sponsored insurance have similar access to care. This study found no statistically significant differences in healthcare access between these two insurance types for nonelderly adults.
Area of Science:
- Health Services Research
- Health Economics
- Insurance Policy
Background:
- The landscape of US health insurance is shifting, with an anticipated rise in private, non-employer-sponsored (individual) insurance coverage starting in 2014.
- Understanding the implications of this shift for healthcare access is crucial for policymakers and the public.
Purpose of the Study:
- To compare healthcare access between nonelderly adults with individual insurance and those with employment-related insurance.
- To identify potential disparities in access to care based on insurance type.
Main Methods:
- Utilized data from the Medical Expenditure Panel Survey (2002-2007) for a nationally representative sample.
- Employed bivariate probit models to address potential omitted variable bias.
- Controlled for health status, attitudes, and socioeconomic characteristics.
Main Results:
- Adults with both individual and employment-related insurance reported generally good access to care.
- While some dimensions suggested individual insurance might slightly reduce access, these findings were not statistically significant.
- All estimated effects of insurance type on access were imprecise.
Conclusions:
- Current evidence does not demonstrate statistically significant differences in healthcare access between nonelderly adults with individual versus employment-related insurance.
- Further research with larger sample sizes or longer timeframes may be needed to detect subtle differences in access.
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