How much health insurance is enough? Revisiting the concept of underinsurance.
There is little consensus on what constitutes adequate health insurance coverage. The concept of a lack of adequate coverage, or underinsurance, is a matter of ongoing debate. A measure of adequate coverage is of critical importance as the nature of health insurance products evolves. Changes to health coverage include more direct out-of-pocket spending by consumers and a reduction of covered benefits. This article updates and extends an earlier review of underinsurance measurement published in 1993. We present a conceptual approach to measuring underinsurance and provide a review of the empirical findings obtained from the application of these approaches. A discussion of the limitations in the selection of a measurement approach includes a review of the extant data sources used. We recommend a national effort to develop a consistent approach to monitor changes in the economic and structural dimensions of health insurance coverage with a concerted effort to define and measure underinsurance.
Blewett
Lynn A
LA
University of Minnesota, USA.
Ward
Andrew
A
Beebe
Timothy J
TJ
D019538:Health Care Surveys; D006801:Humans; D019458:Insurance Coverage / Q000145:classification*; D007348:Insurance, Health; D014481:United States