Assessing health insurance literacy among domestic and international students

Objective: College students are mandated to have health insurance in many universities in the United States. All students must comprehend insurance concepts to maximize their benefits. This study compared the level of health insurance literacy and information access problems between international and domestic graduate students. Participants: Thirty graduate students (15 domestic and 15 international) in a major public university in the United States were interviewed. Method: Data was collected through in-depth semi-structured interviews in person or via Zoom. Using thematic analysis, audio-recorded interviews were transcribed and analyzed. Results: Findings indicate that both groups possessed inadequate knowledge about health insurance with domestic students exhibiting a better understanding of deductibles, hospital networks, and co-pays. The major challenge encountered was a lack of clarity on the websites of their university's health insurance and other health insurance providers. Conclusions: Our results highlight the need for student-targeted educational interventions to improve their healthcare access.