Many Americans are finding health care pricey and inaccessible due to increased medical prices and insurance premiums. According to a recent United States Census Bureau study, there were 42 million uninsured Americans in the United States in 2013 “>1]. The costs of having such a large uninsured population are significant, and they affect both those who do not obtain health insurance and the rest of society through cost shifting, higher insurance premiums, and higher taxes. This is one of the main reasons why the Obama administration is so focused on passing health-care reform in 2010.
The present literature clearly shows that the percentage of people who are uninsured varies with age. Young adults make up the greatest share of those without health insurance in the United States. Young adults between the ages of 18 and 24 are around 30% less likely than the rest of the population to be insured. As a person becomes older, his or her chances of being insured improve. Between the ages of 25 and 34, around 25% of persons are uninsured, compared to 18% between the ages of 35 and 44 and 13% between the ages of 45 and 65.
The primary goal of this research is to figure out why so many young adults lack private health insurance coverage by analyzing the demographic and perceptual factors that influence a young adult’s ability to obtain coverage. In the available literature, perceived health state, perceived need, perceived value, socioeconomic status, and other demographics have all been identified as factors of health insurance status for both young adults and the overall American population. The impact of these variables on health insurance coverage is investigated using structural equation modeling.
The enactment of the Affordable Care Act (ACA) in March 2010 and the Supreme Court’s decision in June 2012 to sustain the individual mandate for health insurance coverage connected with it transformed the face of the health insurance sector. The Affordable Care Act now allows young students to remain on their parents’ insurance plans until they reach the age of 26, allowing more young individuals to receive vital health care services. Many young adults today choose not to obtain health insurance when they turn 18 or graduate from college for a variety of reasons. In addition, the Affordable Care Act (ACA) allowed for Medicaid expansion in 2014. This permitted anyone earning less than 133 percent of the federal poverty threshold to be covered by Medicaid, resulting in approximately 7.1 million more adults being covered than previously.
Another 6 million young adults could potentially be covered by premium subsidies. Subsidized health insurance coverage will be available to young adults who earn more than 133 percent of the poverty threshold. The Affordable Care Act (ACA) imposes penalties on anyone who do not obtain health insurance even if they are eligible. By 2016, the penalties for opting out will have increased to a maximum of $695.00 or 2.5 percent of an individual’s income, whichever is less, “>5]. Young adults who do not have the benefit of being covered by their parents’ plans or who do not qualify for subsidized plans must acquire health insurance or face a penalty. If young adults refuse coverage and are eligible for a health insurance plan with rates less than 8% of their income, they will be obliged to pay this penalty.
The majority of young adults in Massachusetts, where health insurance is already required and those who do not acquire it face tax penalties, have purchased a plan. Despite this, young adults remain the most likely demographic group in the state to be uninsured “>5]. The Massachusetts health insurance mandate has proven that increasing the number of persons in the risk pool, while lowering health insurance premiums, increases the likelihood of a young adult purchasing health insurance.
When the Affordable Care Act is fully implemented, an examination of why young individuals do not get health insurance may provide insight into whether they will opt to purchase insurance or pay the penalty. Will this trend of young people not buying health insurance spread across the country? Various subsidies are expected to reduce the cost of insurance for many young people, reducing one barrier to coverage. The subsidies are also expected to dramatically raise the share of covered young adults; perhaps national trends will follow Massachusetts’ lead. To anticipate how young adults would behave across the country, more research is needed.
By measuring respondents’ perceptions of their health state, need for healthcare services, and value of such services, the current study investigates the determinants of health insurance coverage for young adults. We look at the impact of traditional demographic parameters that have been investigated in the past. The associations between variables are determined using structural equation modeling, a sophisticated empirical technique. Structural equation modeling is useful for determining the impact of multiple different factors on a single dependent variable, such as the various determinants of health insurance coverage for different demographic subgroups. The incorporation of latent variables is one advantage of employing structural equation modeling in empirical studies. This study differs from others in the field of health insurance since it includes both latent and directly measured factors.
Conceptual framework
The prospect theory of Kahneman and Tversky states that the immediate financial expenditure involved with the acquisition of a product (in this case, health insurance) is a crucial element in determining whether or not to buy it. Other decision theories consider the potential financial loss that could result from a major illness or accident in the future. When it comes to the purchase of health insurance by young adults, however, prospect theory allows one to consider that the certain loss associated with paying a monthly premium and upfront costs, rather than the possibility of a major medical bill in the future, is the most important deciding factor. An important study summarizes the primary premise in prospect theory: people shun risk when picking between prospective profits, but they seek risk when it comes to potential losses. When the amount of loss associated with a decision grows, an individual is less likely to accept that loss.
While prospect theory is useful for understanding how young individuals make health-insurance decisions, we suggest that it should not be used in isolation. “Behaviors are impacted by intrapersonal, socio-cultural, policy, and physical environmental elements,” according to Stokols’ social ecology model. Multiple levels of environmental variables are detailed that are relevant for understanding and modifying health habits, and these variables are likely to interact.” Lack of some environmental resources (e.g., money, education) may prohibit persons from accessing critical health care treatments or the insurance to pay for them in this situation. Other environmental elements, in the same situation, may obstruct insurance uptake.
Individual, organization, community, and population are the four layers of determinants of health behavior in the social ecological framework. Individual behavior is influenced by a person’s understanding of the hazards involved with not having health insurance and their own income (socioeconomic status and demographics). At the organizational level, socioeconomic status is also a factor. In one’s decision-making process, whether or not one is employed potentially plays a role. In addition, whether or not part-time employment options allow for insurance enrollment could be a factor. Social norms and beliefs influence behavior at the community level (perceived need). At the population level, perceived value is one factor that influences who opts for health insurance and who does not.
According to the structural equation model for the study, perceived health state, perceived need for health insurance, perceived value of health insurance, socioeconomic status, and other variables all have a potential effect on individual health insurance coverage. Prospect theory will be used to explore the major factors of interest in this study (perceived need, perceived value, and socioeconomic position). The model utilized in this study is compatible with prospect theory in that it examines whether socioeconomic status and insurance pricing have a greater impact on the decision to get health insurance than perceived health state, perceived need, and perceived value.
Personal behaviors are influenced by a variety of elements that interact with one another, according to the social ecology model. This gives a framework that shows how the many factors in this study are expected to interact with one another at various levels. This study’s final model was created using a combination of published material and the two key theories presented in this section. These two hypotheses complement one other nicely and, when combined, constitute a theoretical framework that guided our research. The social ecology model describes how diverse societal variables interact with one other and affect the person, while prospect theory explains why people make specific decisions.
Actual and perceived health status
It is a common misconception that young folks do not obtain health insurance because they are in typically good health. While many young adults are healthy, those with impairments or persistent illnesses require extensive medical attention. The repercussions of not having health insurance for these people can be fatal. Young Americans with disabilities and long-term health difficulties are frequently covered by their parents’ private or governmental health insurance.
Unless they are still students and protected by their parents’ insurance plans, young adults above the age of nineteen confront huge obstacles when it comes to acquiring health insurance. Many people believe that Medicaid serves as a safety net for all disabled persons; however, this is not always the case. Because they are not classified as functionally impaired, a growing number of young individuals with long-term health difficulties are unable to acquire private health insurance or Medicaid coverage. This means that there are sick people in our country (both young and old) who are unable to work and have few or no options for health insurance.
A study published in 2000 found no significant link between health status and health insurance coverage. However, a 2003 study comparing two recent national surveys indicated that those who perceive themselves to be in excellent health have a 50% lower chance of acquiring private health insurance coverage than those who consider themselves to be in fair or poor health. Premiums are actually 13 to 16 percent more for those who have moderate health problems and 43 to 50 percent higher for people who have serious health problems, according to the researchers, as compared to people who are in good health.
Because people in good health can generally afford coverage, Americans with private health insurance are generally in good health. This result was reached after reviewing data from the Medical Expenditure Panel Survey, which revealed that good health is linked to a higher likelihood of purchasing health insurance. Using data from the Survey of Income and Program Participation from 2001, the US Census Bureau discovered that persons in good health had greater rates of health insurance than those in poor health.
Perceived need
One reason why some young adults, particularly young adult males, do not obtain health insurance is that they believe they are immortal or invulnerable to catastrophic illnesses or injuries. It’s easy to see how this sense of invincibility could contribute to a lack of health insurance coverage among young individuals. Many young folks simply do not seek regular medical treatment, do not understand the value of health insurance, and choose to spend their money on rent, food, and transportation.
Young adults are generally healthier and in better shape than older adults, and they recover from traumas more quickly. This does not, however, imply that they are unconcerned about health insurance.
Some young folks may not understand the importance of insurance or consider it an advantage. Many young individuals have never experienced a significant medical problem and do not anticipate suffering a serious injury very soon. While some young individuals are aware that being uninsured carries risks, they are usually prepared to accept those risks.
Contrary to conventional assumption, many young adults believe that health insurance is critical “>15]. According to the author of the Biennial Health Insurance Survey, when asked about their desire for health insurance, seven out of ten young workers aged 19 to 29 indicated it was very important to them in determining whether or not to take a job, a rate similar to that of older workers (p. 5). According to the report, 71 percent of young adults with jobs receive health insurance. Furthermore, 70 percent of young persons say that the availability of a workplace health insurance plan is a critical element in selecting whether or not to take a job “>16]. However, compared to 62 percent of working older adults, only 42 percent of employed young adults are covered by an employer-sponsored health plan. One reason for the low prevalence of insurance enrollment among young adults could be that they are more likely to be working part-time or on a temporary basis by a company who just provides health benefits “>16]. These findings cast doubt on the widely held belief that young adults do not require or desire health insurance.
Perceived value
According to previous research, people prefer to invest in health insurance when the perceived benefits outweigh the out-of-pocket expenditures. Having health insurance is often associated with a monetary value. People do not buy health insurance because it is too expensive, according to Monheit (2008), who claims that some people would prefer a steady income with no health insurance coverage to an unquantifiable value associated with having health insurance (i.e. the perceived value does not outweigh the cost of coverage).
The escalating expense of health insurance is one of the main reasons why so many young adults do not have it. According to a Humana health insurance poll, approximately half of those who did not get health insurance did so because they could not afford it. The cost of health insurance is first on the list of reasons why young adults choose to go without coverage. According to a research by Markowitz et al, 40 percent of the uninsured population between the ages of 18 and 24 cited cost as the main reason for not having health insurance. Among the categories of socioeconomic status, demographics, and health status, this rationale received the greatest proportion. The variables in their analysis are quite similar to those in the current study, demonstrating the necessity of include a variable related to perceived value in any health insurance study.
According to the Henry J. Kaiser Family Foundation, the high cost of health insurance in the United States is the leading cause of uninsured persons of all ages “[+19]. According to the Wisconsin Department of Health and Family Services, the high cost of health insurance keeps young persons in Wisconsin from getting coverage “[>20] Specifically, 67 percent of the young individuals in the Wisconsin survey indicated they were unable to get health insurance because they could not afford it.
Socioeconomic status
While numerous factors contribute to a person’s lack of health insurance coverage, the literature indicates that having a low income is one of the reasons why people are unwilling to purchase health insurance plans “>21]. Multiple criteria, including educational attainment, can be used to determine socioeconomic position. According to the literature, years of education and socioeconomic position have a positive link with health insurance coverage. Those with the least education are roughly five times less likely than their better educated friends to get health insurance “>22].
Individuals with wages below the poverty line have a two-fold lower chance of being insured “>23]. According to the Kaiser Commission on Medicaid and the Uninsured, low-income persons have a significant risk of not having health insurance and account for roughly half of the uninsured population “>24]. Other empirical studies have discovered a favorable link between age, race (Caucasian), income, and employment and insurance status.
In 2003, researchers looked at data from the National Survey of America’s Families (NSAF) from 1997 and 1999 to see what financial issues adults without health insurance experience “>21]. “Over 40% of all adults in the sample reported food, housing, or health-care problems in the previous year,” according to the study. “>21] “Overall, 38 percent of moderate and higher-income uninsured people and 70 percent of low-income uninsured adults were unable to purchase health insurance because they struggled to pay for food and shelter,” according to the study. Whether or not a person of any age purchases health insurance appears to be influenced by their socioeconomic situation.
Demographics
Minorities should be examined in any discussion of demography and health insurance status. Minorities make up around 34% of the non-elderly population but 52% of the uninsured population, according to the Kaiser Commission on Medicaid and the Uninsured Report “>24]. Other research have found that being a minority has a detrimental impact on health insurance coverage.
Members of minority groups are more likely to be uninsured, and this is especially true if their incomes are at or below the federal poverty level. “Young African American men are the least likely to obtain health insurance,” according to one researcher (p.5). Furthermore, Hispanics are more likely than other racial and ethnic groups to be uninsured “>27]. Despite the fact that a large percentage of white young adults (31%) are uninsured, they are more likely than African Americans or Hispanics to be covered by a health insurance plan.
According to another study, young men are more likely than young women to be without health insurance. Young men have the lowest overall health insurance coverage rate. Young men have historically had lower rates of health insurance coverage than older males, but the coverage inequalities have widened in recent years.
Researchers discovered that Caucasians and women in general have greater rates of health insurance than others. According to the National Center for Health Statistics (2003), women are more likely to have health insurance than men.
In summary, past research shows that an individual’s health insurance status is influenced by their actual and perceived health state, perceived need, perceived value, socioeconomic level, and demographic characteristics. The current study will focus on determining the extent to which they are predictors of young individuals’ health insurance status.
Hypotheses
The following hypotheses are based on the previously studied literature and the developed conceptual framework. Our research of the health insurance status of American youth was guided by three hypotheses:
H1: The likelihood of getting insured is inversely connected to an individual’s perceived health state.
H2: The likelihood of being insured is positively connected to an individual’s assessment of health insurance as valuable (worth the cost).
H3: The chance of being insured is positively connected to an individual’s view of the necessity for health insurance.
H4: A person’s socioeconomic level is related to his or her likelihood of getting insured.
What are the demographics of healthcare?
Patients are typically asked to supply certain information when they come in for an appointment or download a health app, which will become part of your medical records.
What is patient insurance demographic?
- Identifying information such as name, date of birth, and address, as well as insurance information, are included in patient demographics.
- Patient demographics help to simplify medical billing, improve healthcare quality, increase communication, and strengthen cultural competency.
- Asking the relevant questions, obeying applicable rules, and employing medical software are all necessary steps in properly gathering and recording patient demographics.
- This article is for doctors and practice owners who want to learn more about patient demographics and how to enhance their collection processes.
Anyone who has ever gone to the doctor has filled out registration paperwork describing their name, residence, biological sex, and other personal information. This data is utilized to help provide better care, but that’s not the whole picture. Long-time healthcare professionals understand that gathering patient demographics also solves a slew of other issues. It’s critical to keep your patients’ demographics accurate and up to date if you want to run a successful healthcare firm.
What is meant by demographic impact?
Demographic change can have an impact on the economy’s underlying growth rate, structural productivity growth, living standards, savings rates, consumption, and investment; it can also have an impact on the long-run unemployment rate and equilibrium interest rate, housing market trends, and financial asset demand.
How are minorities affected by healthcare?
Minority Americans do not score as well as whites on a variety of health-care quality indicators, including effective patientphysician communication, overcoming cultural and linguistic barriers, and access to health-care and insurance coverage, according to a recent Commonwealth Fund poll. African Americans, Asian Americans, and Hispanics are more likely than whites to have trouble communicating with their doctor, to feel disrespected when receiving health care, to face barriers to care such as a lack of insurance or a regular doctor, and to believe that they would receive better care if they were of a different race or ethnicity. While the health-care experiences of different minority groups vary greatly, there are a number of similar problems. The results of surveys frequently reveal large disparities among racial and ethnic groupings.
“Communication is critical to receiving high-quality medical care, and an alarmingly high percentage of patients believe their doctors do not listen to them or do not comprehend what they say. As a result, even when a patient arrives at the doctor’s office, they may not receive the best possible care “Karen Scott Collins, M.D., vice president of The Commonwealth Fund, echoed this sentiment. “Physicians require assistance in making communication a top priority, both in medical school and in practice.”
Communication problems between patients and doctors are common. Americans were more likely than whites to have communication problems with their doctors. Hispanics were more than twice as likely as whites to report one or more communication issues, such as not understanding the doctor, not feeling the doctor listened to them, or having questions for the doctor but not asking them (33 percent vs. 16 percent). Similar communication issues affect one-quarter of Asian Americans (27%) and one-quarter of African Americans (23%). In comparison to three out of five whites, less than half of Hispanics (45%) say it is extremely easy to interpret information from the doctor’s office (59 percent ). Nearly one-fourth of adults who had visited a doctor in the previous two years stated they had ignored their doctor’s advise at some point; the most common reasons for not following a doctor’s advice are disagreement with the counsel (39 percent) and cost (25 percent) (27 percent ). Two out of every five Hispanics (41%) and nearly one out of every three African Americans (30%) who did not follow a doctor’s advise cited high costs as a cause, compared to one out of every four whites (24%) and Asian Americans (27 percent ).
Many minorities face language barriers.
Speaking a language other than English as a primary language roughly doubles the likelihood of having a communication barrier when seeking health care for Hispanics and Asian Americans: Communication problems with physicians were identified by 43 percent of Hispanics who spoke primarily Spanish, compared to 26 percent of Hispanics who spoke primarily English. Three out of every five Asian Americans (39%) report having a communication barrier with their doctor, compared to one out of every four Asian Americans (25%) who speak English as their first language. Even Hispanics or Asian Americans who speak English as their first language have substantially more difficulty talking with their health care provider than whites.
When it comes to health care, minorities are more likely to be treated with disdain.
Minorities in the United States are more likely than whites to have bad health-care experiences. In comparison to 1% of whites, nearly one in six African Americans (15%), one in seven Hispanics (13%), and one in ten Asian Americans (11%) believe they would receive better health care if they were of a different race or ethnicity. Hispanics are almost twice as likely as whites to feel disrespected due of their financial status, ability to communicate in English, or race or ethnicity (18 percent vs. 9 percent ). Sixteen percent of African Americans and thirteen percent of Asian Americans felt disrespected. Hispanics (57%) and Asian Americans (54%) are less likely than African Americans (69%) and whites (72%) to say they have a high level of confidence and trust in their doctor.
Minorities have a worse health status and are more likely to develop chronic illnesses.
Minority persons are more likely than white individuals to experience health concerns. One out of every five Hispanics (22%), one out of every six African Americans (17%), and one out of every six Asian Americans (17%) evaluate their health as fair or poor, compared to one out of every seven whites (14 percent ). When you consider that the minority population is on average younger than the white population, and so should be healthier, the disparity is even more apparent. Further investigation finds significant disparities in health status among ethnic groups. While two out of every five Vietnamese Americans (40%) and three out of every ten Korean Americans (29%) stated their health was fair or poor, only one out of every ten Chinese Americans (11%) said the same. One out of every four Mexicans (25%) assessed their health as fair or poor, compared to one out of every six Puerto Ricans (16 percent ). A chronic disease or condition, such as high blood pressure, heart attack, cancer, diabetes, anxiety or depression, obesity, or asthma, is more likely to be diagnosed in African Americans aged 50 and up. Compared to 68 percent of Hispanics, 64 percent of whites, and 42 percent of Asian Americans 50 and older, three-quarters of African Americans (77%) have been diagnosed with one of these illnesses.
Care and Preventive Care Satisfaction: Some Gaps Closing, But Disparities Persist
Two-thirds of whites (65%) and three-fifths (61%) of African Americans say they are extremely satisfied with their health care. Despite this, just over half of Hispanics (56%) and less than half of Asian Americans (45%) say they are extremely satisfied with their medical treatment. People who are African American or white are more likely than Hispanic or Asian American adults to receive preventative care. In the age group of 50 and above, 18% of Hispanics and 16% of Asian Americans indicated they had been checked for colon cancer in the previous year, compared to 31% of African Americans and 28% of whites. Despite receiving preventative care at rates at least equivalent to whites, African Americans’ health outcomes remain lower. Accounting for this gap will necessitate a thorough assessment of other areas of health care delivery where issues may exist, such as patient access to specialized treatment or their capacity to follow instructions at home.
Minorities have lower insurance coverage rates and less access to healthcare.
For all Americans, a lack of health insurance is associated to reduced access to care and more bad care experiences. Hispanics and African-Americans are the groups most likely to be uninsured. Nearly half of working-age Hispanics (46%) and one-third of African Americans did not have health insurance for all or part of the year prior to the study. In comparison, one-fifth of white and Asian Americans aged 18 to 64 did not have health insurance for the entire year or part of it. Uninsured minorities are significantly more likely than uninsured whites to have difficulty getting health care. Uninsured minorities are more likely than uninsured whites to say they have little or no control over their health-care provider. Two-fifths of Hispanics (39%) and African Americans (38%) and one-third of Asian Americans (32%) who were uninsured at any point during the year before to the study said they had little or no choice in their health-care provider. Uninsured whites, on the other hand, report having little or no choice in terms of where they get their treatment (25 percent). Whether or whether they have health insurance, minorities are more likely than whites to be separated from the health care system and regular sources of care, both of which are key indicators of treatment quality. Minority adults are less likely to have a regular doctor than white adults. Only 57 percent of Hispanics, 68 percent of Asian Americans, and 70 percent of African Americans stated they have a regular doctor. Whites, on the other hand, reported having a regular doctor in four out of five cases (80%). African American and Hispanic people (13%) and white adults (6%), respectively, were more than twice as likely to indicate no regular source of treatment or that the emergency department is their usual source of care. “There is a significant disparity between white and black Americans’ health-care experiences on practically every quality metric. As our population becomes more diverse, these findings serve as a stark warning that the gap in health-care quality is on the verge of becoming a chasm “The Commonwealth Fund’s president, Karen Davis, acknowledged as much. “To ensure that everyone has a healthy future, we must aim to improve every aspect of care quality. We should give special attention to areas where minority Americans are most vulnerable, such as removing language, literacy, and health-care-insurance barriers.”
How does race and ethnicity affect health care in the US?
Why do black people get sicker and die younger than other ethnic groups? The greater morbidity and death among black people is likely due to a variety of reasons. One of those determinants, though, is undeniably the care patients receive from their physicians. Simply put, black individuals do not receive the same level of health care as their white counterparts, and this inferior care is shortening their lives.
In 2005, the Institute of Medicine, a non-profit, non-governmental organization that is now known as the National Academy of Medicine (NAM), released a report claiming that the poverty in which black people disproportionately live cannot explain why they are sicker and live shorter lives than their white counterparts. Even when insurance status, wealth, age, and severity of diseases are identical, racial and ethnic minorities receive lower-quality health care than white people, according to NAM. NAM meant the concrete, poorer care that physicians deliver their black patients when they said âlower-quality health care.â Minorities are less likely than white people to obtain appropriate cardiac care, renal dialysis or transplants, and the best therapies for stroke, cancer, or AIDS, according to NAM. It ended with a “uncomfortable reality”: “certain persons in the United States were more likely to die from cancer, heart disease, and diabetes simply because of their race or ethnicity, not just because they lacked access to health care.”
Numerous studies back up NAM’s findings, demonstrating that providers of color are less likely than white counterparts to provide effective treatments, even after controlling for factors such as socioeconomic status, health behaviors, comorbidities, and access to health insurance and health care services. One study of 400 hospitals in the United States found that black patients with heart disease were given older, less expensive, and conservative treatments than white patients. Patients of color were less likely to undergo coronary bypass surgery and angiography. They are discharged from the hospital earlier than white patients after surgery, at a time when discharge is inappropriate. Other ailments are the same way. Radiation therapy in conjunction with a mastectomy is less common in black women than in white women. They are, in fact, less likely to have mastectomies. Even more concerning is the fact that black patients are more likely to receive less desirable therapies. The percentage of black patients who have limbs amputated is higher than the percentage of white patients. Furthermore, despite evidence showing antipsychotics have long-term harmful effects and are ineffective, black people with bipolar disorder are more likely to be treated with them.
Why demographic is important?
Demographics are significant because they provide a broad overview of a population’s many traits. This data is especially relevant to government agencies for making important population-related policy choices. Corporations and other private-sector businesses use demographics to gain a better understanding of their customers and, as a result, establish effective business and marketing plans.
It is critical for everyone, not just governments, corporations, and economists, to comprehend demographics and their statistical potential. Decisions based on demographic data have the potential to have a significant impact on our daily lives.
Why is demographic data important in healthcare?
Healthcare practitioners are determined to serve their patients in any way they can, but providing outstanding care comes with a number of hurdles, such as knowing your patients well enough to customize your recommendations to their specific requirements.
Physicians need to know as much as they can about their patients, including demographic information, in order to deliver individualized care. This information is essential since factors such as ethnicity, age, and medical history might influence a patient’s susceptibility to specific diseases and the most effective therapies.
Take the situation of Brigham Health, for example. During the COVID-19 epidemic, this organization looked into how demographics affected patient health. The findings were concerning: certain communities were up to five times more likely to be hospitalized with COVID-19, and some groups had significantly higher fatality rates.
What are some advantages of group insurance coverage?
The main benefit of a group plan is that it spreads risk among a group of covered people. This benefits group members by lowering rates, and it allows insurers to better manage risk by knowing who they are covering. Health maintenance organizations (HMOs), in which providers contract with insurers to deliver care to members, allow insurers to exert even more cost control.