Families’ Health Insurance under the ACA: Perceived and Realized Access to Care

• In Event: 480 - Section on Medical Sociology Refereed Roundtable Session and Business Meeting
  In Refereed Roundtable 60min: Table 07. Health Policy

Abstract

The USA Affordable Care Act altered how health insurance coverage is achieved. The configuration of coverage status within families is considered here as an enabling factor in access to health care, net of individual coverage. Using recent data from the Medical Expenditure Panel Survey, families are characterized based on the uniformity of members' insurance status, such that families insuring all members through the same plan(s) are differentiated from those insuring all members through a patchwork of different plans. While fewer people are personally uninsured, many continue to be exposed to uninsurance through familial ties. Sensitivity analyses contrast differing definitions of family. Multiple perceived and realized access to health care measures are predicted using multivariate design-adjusted regression models, with a focus on health and social policy-relevant areas. While the full impact of the ACA has yet to be observed, this study provides a preliminary assessment for families' insurance and access.

Author

• Diane S. Shinberg, Indiana University of Pennsylvania