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. 2023 Oct 6:68:1605788.
doi: 10.3389/ijph.2023.1605788. eCollection 2023.

Health Insurance Literacy and Medical Care Avoidance Among International Students: A Case Study

Echu Liu  1 , Samantha A Arledge  1 , Miao Cai  2 , Donghua Tao  3 , Wei Li  4
Affiliations

Health Insurance Literacy and Medical Care Avoidance Among International Students: A Case Study

Echu Liu et al. Int J Public Health. .

Abstract

Objectives: This research examines the health insurance literacy and healthcare utilization of international students attending a university in the US Midwest. Methods: One hundred and forty-three undergraduate and graduate students attending a midsize metropolitan university in the Midwest completed an online survey in early 2022. Results: Many students surveyed could not identify the definitions of basic terms, such as copay. Furthermore, about 80% of students surveyed could not determine their financial responsibilities in two medical settings. Regression results show that the continent they are from and the length of their stay in the United States significantly predict their understanding of key health insurance terms. More than half of the international students surveyed indicated they often feel confused about their health insurance (57.34%). Only about 20% have delayed or skipped care due to unfamiliarity with the health insurance system. Conclusion: The health insurance literacy of most international students at the midwestern university we surveyed is not ideal. This and possibly other universities in the United States should take more initiatives to help their international students understand the health insurance system.

Keywords: United States; case study; health care avoidance; health insurance literacy; international students.

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Conflict of interest statement

The authors declare that they do not have any conflicts of interest.

Figures

FIGURE 1
FIGURE 1
Percentage of respondents who incorrectly identified vital health insurance terms (N = 143). United States, Midwest 4 February 2022.
FIGURE 2
FIGURE 2
Distribution of health insurance vocabulary score United States, Midwest 4 February 2022.
See this image and copyright information in PMC

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