Health insurance and subjective health status: data from the 1987 National Medical Expenditure survey.
OBJECTIVE
The relationship between health insurance and subjective health status was investigated. It was hypothesized that persons without health insurance would have lower levels of subjective health status than those with health insurance and that this relationship would hold for both poor and nonpoor persons.


METHODS
Data from the 1987 National Medical Expenditure Survey were analyzed to examine the relationship between health insurance and self-reported health status. The analysis controlled for sociodemographic and attitudinal variables and medical conditions.


RESULTS
Persons without health insurance had significantly lower levels of subjective health status than did persons with insurance. This adverse effect persisted after adjustments were made for the effects of age, sex, race, income, attitude toward the value of medical care and health insurance, and medical conditions. The detrimental effect of lacking health insurance on subjective health status was present for persons at all income levels and was greater than the effect on subjective health status found for 2 of the 11 reported medical conditions.


CONCLUSIONS
Lacking health insurance is associated with clinically significant lower levels of subjective health status in both poor and non-poor persons.
Franks
P
P
Division of Primary Care, Agency for Health Care Policy and Research, Rockville, Md.
Clancy
C M
CM
Gold
M R
MR
Nutting
P A
PA
D000328:Adult; D000367:Age Factors; D005260:Female; D005102:Health Expenditures / Q000706:statistics & numerical data*; D006304:Health Status; D006801:Humans; D007348:Insurance, Health / Q000191:economics* / Q000706:statistics & numerical data; D008297:Male; D017057:Medically Uninsured / Q000706:statistics & numerical data*; D044469:Racial Groups; D012737:Sex Factors; D012959:Socioeconomic Factors; D014481:United States