Healthcare Tendencies of Insured Versus Uninsured Patients: Implications for Educational Initiatives

We assess health education needs and preferences of insured and uninsured patients, particularly with regard to their disparate use of nonphysician sources of health information. Telephonic survey results of over 14,000 insured and 2,000 uninsured US residents reveals important differences in the general health, tendencies in seeking medical care, and perceptions of the need for and value of health insurance between these two groups. Results also show significant differences in reasons why insured versus uninsured patients may put off seeking medical care, as well as their tendencies to seek health-related information from alternate (non-physician) sources and the role such information plays in their general health and healthcare tendencies. Despite the many “safety net” programs available in the United States as well as legislation like the Affordable Care Act, many US residents still lack sufficient health insurance. Not having health insurance often means a person fails to get needed medical help for chronic conditions, does not benefit from regular or adequate preventive care, gets incomplete or insufficient care, or must resort to costly emergency room visits when they are sick. Practical implications of these findings for health education are discussed.