Data on Insurance Detailed by Researchers at Korea University (Associations of Medicare Advantage Enrollment Duration With Health Insurance Literacy and Access To and Affordability of Health Care): Insurance

2025 JUN 17 (NewsRx) -- By a News Reporter-Staff News Editor at Health Policy and Law Daily -- Investigators publish new report on Insurance. According to news reporting out of Seoul, South Korea, by NewsRx editors, research stated, “Health insurance literacy is crucial for making informed decisions about insurance plans, particularly in the context of the complex structure of Medicare Advantage (MA). Longer MA enrollment has the potential to improve health insurance literacy, which may, in turn, enhance access to and affordability of care.”

Our news journalists obtained a quote from the research from Korea University, “However, the extent of this relationship remains poorly understood. To examine the association of the duration of MA enrollment with health insurance literacy as well as access to and affordability of care. Cross-sectional study within the MA setting. Participants 13,103 Medicare Advantage enrollees from the 2017-2020 Medicare Current Beneficiary Survey. Health insurance literacy, access to care, and affordability of care. Compared to those enrolled in MA for 1-2 years, those with 3-5, 6-10, and >= 11 years of enrollment were more likely to report better understanding and knowledge of Medicare (adjusted differences ranging from 3.44 [p=0.011] to 6.53 [p <0.001] percentage points). Additionally, they were less likely to report trouble getting needed care (1.85 [p=0.007], 2.68 [p < 0.001], 2.08 [p=0.01] percentage points for 3-5, 6-10, and >= 11 years of enrollment). More pronounced differences were observed in care affordability: delaying care due to cost decreased by -1.36 (p=0.13), 2.59 (p=0.003), 2.39 (p=0.04) percentage points while having problems paying medical bills decreased by 3.48 (p <0.001), 2.76 (p <0.001), 2.93 (p=0.003) percentage points. However, these associations did not necessarily increase with enrollment beyond 3-5 years. Our findings indicate that longer MA enrollment is associated with higher health insurance literacy and better access to and affordability of care. However, this association appears to plateau after the first few years of enrollment.”

According to the news editors, the research concluded: “These results underscore the importance of implementing targeted programs to enhance health insurance literacy among those newly enrolled in MA, with the goal of improving access to and affordability of care.”

This research has been peer-reviewed.

For more information on this research see: Associations of Medicare Advantage Enrollment Duration With Health Insurance Literacy and Access To and Affordability of Health Care. Journal of General Internal Medicine, 2025. Journal of General Internal Medicine can be contacted at: Springer, One New York Plaza, Suite 4600, New York, Ny, United States. (Wiley-Blackwell - http://www.wiley.com/; Journal of General Internal Medicine - http://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/journal/10.1111/(ISSN)1525-1497)

Our news journalists report that additional information may be obtained by contacting Sungchul Park, Korea University, Dept. of Health Policy and Management, Seoul, South Korea.

The direct object identifier (DOI) for that additional information is: https://doi.org/10.1007/s11606-025-09628-x. This DOI is a link to an online electronic document that is either free or for purchase, and can be your direct source for a journal article and its citation.

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