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Health Insurance CarinPracht
Health Insurance Health Insurance became the way we access health care after World War II. Employers began providing coverage to their employees. In 1965 Medicaid and Medicare were created that expanded coverage to millions of Americans over the age of 65, poor, and/or disabled. Since this time, Insurance became the most common way people access our system. Without this insurance many of us would be bankrupt because the cost of care has become ridiculously expensive. This system was working wonderfully until we took notice that 50 million Americans are without insurance coverage and therefore are unable to access the system for the most part. One way to increase the number of people who have insurance is to provide them with more information and a better understanding of the system and/or their current plan. We need more advocacy to teach people how to understand and utilize their plan most effectively. • Purpose of Survey • The purpose of this survey was to discover what type of plan most people have and what their knowledge of that plan is. I then asked how consumers thought their knowledge could be increased and how insurance companies could do this. • I hope to accomplish creating a list of possible ways insurance companies can provide information to their consumers in a interactive way that will increase overall literacy- therefore granting access to more people. • Methods • This survey was conducted using a convenience sample. Ten of my classmates were emailed the link to my survey on surveymonkey.com with a brief description of what the survey entailed. I then sent a follow-up email to remind my classmates to take this survey. I received 10 out of 10 responses and only one person skipped one question. Health Insurance
What type of Health Insurance Plan do you or your family currently have? • Plan Type • From this data, one is able to see that most people have no idea what type of plan they have. 40% of respondents said they have no idea. This data also outlines the fact that we have many uninsured people in America. 10% of respondents said they were uninsured, in most other developed countries this would be 0%. • Many Americans have no idea of even what type of Insurance plan they have. This is a big problem in our country due to fragmentation across the system. The type of plan you have determines how one can access the system. There needs to be a greater effort to increase this knowledge. • Discussion Current Health Insurance Plan
How would you rate your current knowledge of your health insurance plan in terms of services covered? • Knowledge of Current Services • In addition to having an insurance plan people should understand the services available to them. For instance are specialists or Long-Term Care facilities covered under your plan? 30 % reported having no knowledge of what their plan covered while another 40 reported somewhat of an idea. Only 10% reported very good knowledge. • When people pay as much as they do for insurance, they should have a better understanding of this. • Discussion Knowledge of Services covered
Rate the following in terms of what type of health insurance system you think would work best in America • Preference for system • Most respondents ranked Universal Coverage as the best option for America. This was followed by our current system, other, then FFS. Amongst those who reported other, these are the ideas they think should be implemented into our system. • A system similar to Medicaid and Medicare but more extensive • A system paid through taxes and accessible to everyone, similar to Great Britain. • People are not happy with the way our current system is operating. We need reform to take place. • Discussion Best Plan for United states
What is your knowledge of the following insurance terms? • Knowledge of Common Terms • There are many confusing but important terms in the world of insurance. From this data, over 60% of respondents said they had very good knowledge of a co-pay. I think this is because most of us cannot receive and medication or go to a physician without paying this. The other terms are not as frequently used so therefore they are not as commonly known. Either way, with the system we currently have, knowledge of each of these terms should be at 100%. More people need to understand their plan and how to access the system. • Discussion Knowledge of common terms
What do you think health insurance companies can do to increase your knowledge of your current health insurance plan? What can be done? • Respondents were asked to identify ways they think their insurance company could increase the understanding of their plan. 9 responses were collected and these common themes emerged: • Offer classes to customers in college or at the company • Send more information via email • Creation of brochures and pamphlets • Simplify plans so that anyone can understand it • Monthly newsletters
Health Insurance Literacy Study, US Department of Labor , 2003 • Act Now! • Summary • Health Insurance Literacy continues to be a large problem in our society. When people do not understand their plan, they do not access the system correctly. Insurance companies can work to fix this problem by first trying to use language that anyone can understand, offer free classes for people to take, and sending out simple emails and brochures to their customers. This will slowly start to solve one of the biggest problems in the United States- access to health care. SUMMARY
