Socioeconomic determinants of health insurance status among Puerto Ricans

The present study analyzed the socioeconomic determinants of health insurance status among Puerto Ricans. Given the fact that there are no mandated health benefits for private firms in Puerto Rico and that health services are provided almost free of charge in government facilities, Puerto Rico provides a unique case study to explore the determinants of health insurance status. The model, estimated using a household sample of 750 dwellings, was collected through the Master Sample Survey of Puerto Rico's Department of Health. Given the nature of the problem studied, logistic regression techniques are used for estimation purposes. The findings of this study point to the importance of age and socioeconomic status as the most important determinants of health insurance status.