Reports of insurance-based discrimination in health care and its association with access to care

X. Han, K.T. Call, J.K. Pintor, G. Alarcon-Espinoza and A.B. Simon

American Journal of Public Health, 2015, vol. 105, S517-S525

Abstract: Objectives. We examined reports of insurance-based discrimination and its association with insurance type and access to care in the early years of the Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act. Methods. We used data from the 2013 Minnesota Health Access Survey to identify 4123 Minnesota adults aged 18 to 64 years who reported about their experiences of insurance-based discrimination. We modeled the association between discrimination and insurance type and predicted odds of having reduced access to care among those reporting discrimination, controlling for sociodemographic factors. Data were weighted to represent the state's population. Results. Reports of insurance-based discrimination were higher among uninsured (25%) and publicly insured (21%) adults than among privately insured adults (3%), which held in the regression analysis. Those reporting discrimination had higher odds of lacking a usual source of care, lacking confidence in getting care, forgoing care because of cost, and experiencing provider-level barriers than those who did not. Conclusions. Further research and policy interventions are needed to address insurance-based discrimination in health care settings.

Keywords: adolescent; adult; female; health care delivery; health care policy; health insurance; human; insurance; male; middle aged; perceptive discrimination; questionnaire; statistics and numerical data; United States, Adolescent; Adult; Discrimination (Psychology); Female; Health Policy; Health Services Accessibility; Humans; Insurance Coverage; Insurance, Health; Male; Middle Aged; Minnesota; Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act; Questionnaires (search for similar items in EconPapers)
Date: 2015
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Citations: View citations in EconPapers (6)

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Persistent link: https://EconPapers.repec.org/RePEc:aph:ajpbhl:10.2105/ajph.2015.302668_5

DOI: 10.2105/AJPH.2015.302668

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