Childhood Underinsurance in Primary Care: A Practice-Based Study
Abstract
1. Introduction
2. Materials and Methods
2.1. Materials
2.2. Study Sites
2.3. Methods
2.4. Statistical Analysis
3. Results
4. Discussion
5. Conclusions
Author Contributions
Funding
Institutional Review Board Statement
Informed Consent Statement
Data Availability Statement
Acknowledgments
Conflicts of Interest
References
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Adequately Insured | Underinsured | ||
---|---|---|---|
Variable/Level | No. (%) | No. (%) | p Value |
Respondent’s education status (n = 1170) | |||
≥College graduate | 438 (92.8) | 34 (7.2) | <0.001 |
≤AA/some college | 600 (86.0) | 98 (14.0) | |
Child’s age category (n = 1174) | |||
0.0–4.9 years | 418 (91.7) | 38 (8.3) | 0.001 |
5.0–11.9 years | 369 (84.2) | 69 (15.8) | |
12.0–17.9 years | 254 (90.7) | 26 (9.3) | |
Household Income (n = 1146) | |||
≥$50,000 | 577 (91.3) | 55 (8.7) | 0.002 |
<$50,000 | 439 (85.4) | 75 (14.6) | |
Child’s overall health (n = 1166) | |||
Excellent | 457 (91.6) | 42 (8.4) | 0.011 |
Very good | 392 (88.1) | 53 (11.9) | |
Good | 153 (85.0) | 27 (15.0) | |
Fair/Poor | 33 (78.6) | 9 (21.4) | |
Child’s insurance changed in the last 12 months (n = 1129) | |||
No | 977 (89.6) | 114 (10.4) | 0.017 |
Yes | 29 (76.3) | 9 (23.7) | |
Child’s race (n = 1158) | |||
White | 701 (89.5) | 82 (10.5) | 0.197 |
Black | 142 (89.3) | 17 (10.7) | |
Other/Multiple | 184 (85.2) | 32 (14.8) | |
Respondent’s marital status (n = 1169) | |||
Married/unmarried couple | 699 (89.4) | 83 (10.6) | 0.298 |
Single/separated/divorced/widowed | 338 (87.3) | 49 (12.7) | |
Respondent’s relation to child (n = 1174) | |||
Parent | 985 (88.6) | 127 (11.4) | 0.673 |
Grandparent/other | 56 (90.3) | 6 (9.7) | |
Child’s insurance (n = 1174) | |||
Public | 491 (88.3) | 65 (11.7) | 0.711 |
Private | 550 (89.0) | 68 (11.0) | |
Child’s sex (n = 1168) | |||
Male | 541 (88.7) | 69 (11.3) | 0.932 |
Female | 494 (88.5) | 64 (11.5) | |
Mean (SD) | Mean (SD) | p Value | |
Index child’s age (n = 1174) | 7.5 (5.2) | 7.9 (4.5) | 0.162 |
Respondent’s age (n = 1151) | 37.3 (9.3) | 36.5 (6.9) | 0.768 |
All Respondents | |
---|---|
Underinsurance Status Question | No. (%) |
In the last 12 months, due to financial difficulties: | |
Were you unable to fill a recommended prescription for your child? (n = 1169) | 64 (5.5) |
Were you unable to make/keep a regular doctor’s appointment for your child? (n = 1173) | 46 (3.9) |
Were you unable to take your child to see a referred specialist? (n = 1170) | 43 (3.7) |
Were you unable to get other needed medical care for your child? (n = 1169) | 41 (3.5) |
Were you unable to have your child get a recommended test done? (n = 1170) | 28 (2.4) |
Did you delay seeking medical care for your child? (n = 1166) | 61 (5.2) |
All Respondents | Adequately Insured | Underinsured | ||
---|---|---|---|---|
Variable/Level | No. (%) | No. (%) | No. (%) | p Value |
In the past 12 months, did your child’s health suffer because of the inability to pay for medical care? (n = 1172) | ||||
No | 1129 (96.3) | 1037 (99.7) | 92 (69.7) | <0.001 |
Yes | 43 (3.7) | 3 (0.3) | 40 (30.3) | |
How has the ease of getting medical care your child needs changed compared to 3 years ago? (n = 1063) | ||||
Easier/Stayed the same | 924 (86.9) | 855 (90.5) | 69 (58.5) | <0.001 |
Harder | 139 (13.1) | 90 (9.5) | 49 (41.5) | |
What effect did the COVID-19 pandemic have on your income? (n = 1144) | ||||
No effect/positive effect | 807 (70.5) | 742 (73.0) | 65 (50.8) | <0.001 |
Negative effect | 337 (29.5) | 274 (27.0) | 63 (49.2) | |
What effect did the COVID-19 pandemic have on your child’s performance in school or daycare? (n = 1128) | ||||
No effect/positive effect | 792 (70.2) | 731 (73.0) | 61 (48.0) | <0.001 |
Negative effect | 336 (29.8) | 270 (27.0) | 66 (52.0) | |
What effect did the COVID-19 pandemic have on your child’s mental health? (n = 1144) | ||||
No effect/positive effect | 829 (72.5) | 762 (75.0) | 67 (52.3) | <0.001 |
Negative effect | 315 (27.5) | 254 (25.0) | 61 (47.7) |
Variable/Level | Adjusted OR * |
---|---|
(95% CI) | |
Child’s insurance | |
Private | 2.18 (1.28–3.69) |
Public | Reference |
PCG’s education status | |
≤AA/some college | 3.69 (2.05–6.62) |
≥College graduate | Reference |
Getting care is easier/same or harder than 3 years ago? | |
Harder | 5.99 (3.58–10.03) |
Easier/stayed the same | Reference |
In the past 12 months, did your child’s health suffer because of the inability to pay for medical care? | |
Yes | 150.77 (40.55–560.58) |
No | Reference |
Child’s age category | |
12.0–17.9 years | 0.76 (0.37–1.55) |
5.0–11.9 years | 1.63 (0.96–2.79) |
0.0–4.9 years | Reference |
Child’s overall health | |
Fair/poor | 1.76 (0.61–5.11) |
Good | 1.24 (0.62–2.51) |
Very good | 1.21 (0.71–2.08) |
Excellent | Reference |
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Dilley-Maltenfort, B.A.S.; Roberts, S.A.; Kaul, S.K.; Goeller, C.M.; Stolfi, A.; Eberhart, G.; Perry, K.M.; Pascoe, J.M. Childhood Underinsurance in Primary Care: A Practice-Based Study. Healthcare 2025, 13, 2427. https://doi.org/10.3390/healthcare13192427
Dilley-Maltenfort BAS, Roberts SA, Kaul SK, Goeller CM, Stolfi A, Eberhart G, Perry KM, Pascoe JM. Childhood Underinsurance in Primary Care: A Practice-Based Study. Healthcare. 2025; 13(19):2427. https://doi.org/10.3390/healthcare13192427
Chicago/Turabian StyleDilley-Maltenfort, Brooklynne A. S., Samantha A. Roberts, Serena K. Kaul, Caroline M. Goeller, Adrienne Stolfi, Gregory Eberhart, Katherine M. Perry, and John M. Pascoe. 2025. "Childhood Underinsurance in Primary Care: A Practice-Based Study" Healthcare 13, no. 19: 2427. https://doi.org/10.3390/healthcare13192427
APA StyleDilley-Maltenfort, B. A. S., Roberts, S. A., Kaul, S. K., Goeller, C. M., Stolfi, A., Eberhart, G., Perry, K. M., & Pascoe, J. M. (2025). Childhood Underinsurance in Primary Care: A Practice-Based Study. Healthcare, 13(19), 2427. https://doi.org/10.3390/healthcare13192427