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How Does Insurance Coverage Improve Health Outcomes?

All members of the social health insurance scheme are automatically covered by social long- term care insurance. The responsible long-term care insurance funds (Pflegekassen) are affiliated to the corresponding health insurance funds (Krankenkassen). Employees who are not covered by social LTC insurance are permitted to contract with a private long-term care insurance institution as long as they are members of a private health insurance scheme. Around 90 per cent of the German population is consequently covered by the social LTC insurance scheme and around 9 per cent have private LTC insurance cover. . | BRI MATHEMATICA Policy Research Inc. TIMELY INFORMATION FROM MATHEMATICA Improving public well-being by conducting high quality objective research and surveys APRIL 2010 NUMBER 1 REFORMING HEALTH CARE ABOUT THIS SERIES How Does Insurance Coverage Improve Health Outcomes by Jill Bernstein Deborah Chollet and Stephanie Peterson Insurance coverage is strongly related to better health outcomes for both children and adults when it makes health care affordable and helps consumers use care appropriately. This brief looks at how insurance improves health outcomes by helping people obtain preventive and screening services prescription drug benefits mental health and other services and by improving continuity of care. Vulnerable populations are especially at risk of poor health outcomes when they are uninsured. Insurance coverage can also improve social and economic well-being by averting developmental problems in children increasing workforce productivity decreasing use of hospital services and reducing costs of public programs. Uninsured Have Worse Health Outcomes Uninsured people generally receive much less care either preventive or for acute and chronic conditions than insured people. In particular uninsured adults report lower levels of self-perceived wellness and functioning. Estimating the number of premature deaths attributable to lack of insurance presents methodological challenges but some research indicates that as many as 44 500 deaths per year in the United States are linked to lack of insurance.1 2 3 5 6 Research on the use of preventive services which has focused separately on children and adults suggests that Uninsured young children have lower immunization rates than insured children.7 This brief is the first in a series highlighting issues related to health care reform that policymakers may want to consider as they implement the federal health reform law. The list of forthcoming titles is on page 3. For more information contact Deborah Chollet at .