The effect of COVID-19 on health insurance and mental health

BackgroundThe outbreak of the novel coronavirus SARS-CoV-2, first discovered in Wuhan, Hubei province of the People's Republic of China, has spread to virtually every country which caused a global pandemic. The pandemic in the United States may have caused disruption of health coverage for millions of people. Researchers have found that the pandemic has affected health insurance coverage for millions in the United States. However, there is a gap in the literature that assesses the mental health status of those affected with health insurance by the covid-19 pandemic.ObjectiveOur hypothesis postulates that those who had employer-based insurance were negatively affected and those who had public insurance were positively affected. Furthermore, we hypothesized that those who lost their health insurance experienced adverse mental health effects and conditions such as anxiety, depression, and stress. The aim of this study is to examine the effect of Covid-19 pandemic on health insurance behavior and mental health.MethodsWe conducted a cross-sectional method to determine whether the covid-19 pandemic influenced health insurance behavior. An online questionnaire was administered to 500 adults residing in the United States through an online platform, Prolific, that helps researchers recruit participants for online research. Enrollment was on a first-come, first-served basis. Participants completed the questionnaire on March 27, 2023. The survey administered assessed the participants mental health status with their experience of healthcare during the pandemic. Two regression analysis were conducted to understand the pandemic's effect on participants health. Our dependent variable was the answers to the participants health from the pandemic using a summative scale. The independent variable was whether participants had health insurance. And if so, the type of health insurance.ResultsThe results showed that loss of employer health insurance has a significant effect on mental health. Furthermore, certain demographics were more likely to experience adverse health from the pandemic.ConclusionFurther studies should be explored to understand the health disparities from the pandemic.