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- Title
Will Uninsured People Volunteer for Voluntary Health Insurance? Experience from Washington State.
- Authors
Diehr, Paula; Madden, Carolyn W.; Cheadle, Allen; Martin, Diane P.; Patrick, Donald L.; Skillman, Susan
- Abstract
Objectives. In national and local discussions of health care reform, there is disagreement about whether a national health insurance plan should he mandatory or voluntary. This study describes characteristics of low-income people who were more likely or less likely to be covered by a voluntary plan. Methods. Survey data were available from an evaluation of Washington State's Basic Health Plan, which offered subsidized health insurance to low-income residents. For those subjects who were eligible and uninsured at baseline, those who joined were compared with those who did not join on a variety of demographic and health-related characteristics. Results. There were substantial differences between those who did and did not join the Basic Health Plan. Those who did not enroll were generally less well-off, with less education, lower income, and worse health. Many had never had health insurance. Conclusions. If health care reform results in a voluntary plan, additional measures may be needed to ensure that less advantaged citizens have adequate access to health care.
- Subjects
UNITED States; HEALTH care reform; HEALTH policy; NATIONAL health insurance; HEALTH insurance; MEDICALLY uninsured persons
- Publication
American Journal of Public Health, 1996, Vol 86, Issue 4, p529
- ISSN
0090-0036
- Publication type
Article
- DOI
10.2105/AJPH.86.4.529