Reports on COVID-19 Findings from Wright State University Boonshoft School of Medicine Provide New Insights (Childhood Underinsurance in Primary Care: A Practice-Based Study): Coronavirus – COVID-19

2025 OCT 28 (NewsRx) -- By a News Reporter-Staff News Editor at NewsRx COVID-19 Daily -- New research on Coronavirus - COVID-19 is the subject of a report. According to news reporting originating from Dayton, Ohio, by NewsRx correspondents, research stated, “Health insurance coverage is critical for children’s health, yet underinsurance remains a significant issue in the United States. This study aims to estimate the prevalence and correlates of childhood underinsurance in southwestern Ohio during a portion of the COVID-19 pandemic.”

Our news editors obtained a quote from the research from the Wright State University Boonshoft School of Medicine, “This is a cross-sectional study of a convenience sample of children, ages 6 months to <18 years, seen in primary care pediatric practices. Recruitment of children’s primary caregivers (PCGs) occurred in practice waiting rooms from June 2021 to April 2023. Respondents completed the Medical Expenses of Children Survey (MEoCS). Index children were considered underinsured if their PCG responded ‘yes’ to any of six questions regarding the inability to pay for a child health clinician’s recommendation despite the child having health insurance. Chi-squared tests and logistic regression were employed in data analysis. 1252 PCGs completed the MEoCS with a response rate of about 90%. 11.3% of index children were underinsured. 41.5% of PCGs raising underinsured children found it harder to access care for their child compared to 3 years ago, while only 9.5% of PCGs raising adequately insured children reported it was harder (< 0.001). PCGs of underinsured children were more likely to report that COVID-19 had a negative effect on their household income (49.2%) and their child’s school performance (52.0%) and mental health (47.7%) compared to adequately insured children (27.0%, 27.0%, 25.0%; < 0.001). About 1 in 9 index children were underinsured.”

According to the news editors, the research concluded: “Lower parental education and private health insurance were associated with underinsurance across several study cohorts, documenting the stability of these drivers of underinsurance.”

For more information on this research see: Childhood Underinsurance in Primary Care: A Practice-Based Study. Healthcare, 2025;13(19):2427. Healthcare can be contacted at: Mdpi, St Alban-Anlage 66, Ch-4052 Basel, Switzerland. (CSIRO Publishing - www.publish.csiro.au; Healthcare - http://www.publish.csiro.au/nid/241.htm)

The news editors report that additional information may be obtained by contacting Samantha A. Roberts, Dept. of Pediatrics, Wright State University Boonshoft School of Medicine, Dayton, OH 45435, United States. Additional authors for this research include Brooklynne A. S. Dilley-Maltenfort, Serena K. Kaul, Caroline M. Goeller, Adrienne Stolfi, Gregory Eberhart, Katherine M. Perry and John M. Pascoe.

The direct object identifier (DOI) for that additional information is: https://doi.org/10.3390/healthcare13192427. 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.

Publisher contact information for the journal Healthcare is: Mdpi, St Alban-Anlage 66, Ch-4052 Basel, Switzerland.

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