Reports Summarize Managed Care Findings from University of California San Diego (UCSD) (Feasibility and effectiveness of a health educational intervention to improve navigation of health insurance benefits for in vitro fertilization: a …): Managed Care

2025 DEC 12 (NewsRx) -- By a News Reporter-Staff News Editor at Insurance Daily News -- Investigators publish new report on Managed Care. According to news reporting originating in La Jolla, California, by NewsRx journalists, research stated, “To determine the effectiveness of an educational intervention in improving health insurance literacy and utilization of in vitro fertilization insurance benefits. Randomized controlled trial, with 217 participants randomized in a 2:1 fashion to receive either an educational intervention or university-provided information sheet.”

The news reporters obtained a quote from the research from the University of California San Diego (UCSD), “Participants were 18 to 50 years, intending to conceive within a year, eligible for employee-offered health insurance coverage. The primary outcome was health insurance literacy. Secondary outcomes included comparing health insurance plans, plan selection, in vitro fertilization service utilization, benefit utilization, out-of-pocket costs, and acceptability, appropriateness, and feasibility of the intervention materials. Semi-structured interviews evaluated participant experiences with intervention materials, plan selection, benefit utilization, in vitro fertilization services, and out-of-pocket costs. Both groups reported low confidence using their health insurance (intervention: 1.00 [SD = 0.90], usual care: 0.74 [SD = 0.76], b = 0.26, 95% CI - 0.09, 0.62) and moderately high confidence being proactive when using their health insurance (intervention: 2.26 [SD = 0.86], usual care: 2.47 [SD = 0.58], b = - 0.20, 95% CI - 0.52, 0.11). Utilization of in vitro fertilization services was similar between groups (intervention: 40% [10/25], usual care: 45% [9/20]; p = 0.35). Use of insurance for these services did not differ between groups (intervention: 36% [9/25], usual care: 40% [8/20]; p = 0.78), and both groups experienced moderate out-of-pocket costs. Qualitative data revealed challenges in benefit utilization in both groups.”

According to the news reporters, the research concluded: “Despite the educational intervention not improving health insurance literacy or in vitro fertilization benefit utilization, our findings suggest that being able to navigate health insurance benefits is essential for effective utilization of in vitro fertilization services.”

This research has been peer-reviewed.

For more information on this research see: Feasibility and effectiveness of a health educational intervention to improve navigation of health insurance benefits for in vitro fertilization: a randomized controlled trial. Journal of Assisted Reproduction and Genetics, 2025. Journal of Assisted Reproduction and Genetics can be contacted at: Springer|plenum Publishers, 233 Spring St, New York, NY 10013, USA. (Springer - www.springer.com; Journal of Assisted Reproduction and Genetics - http://www.springerlink.com/content/1058-0468/)

Our news correspondents report that additional information may be obtained by contacting Bonnie N. Kaiser, Anthropology Dept. of and Global Health Program, University of California San Diego (UCSD), La Jolla, CA, United States. Additional authors for this research include Olumayowa Dayo, Ricardo E. Flores Ortega, Victoria Turcotte, Breanna Reyes, Natasha Bisarya, Brian Kwan, Gregory A. Aarons, Sara B. McMenamin, H. Irene Su and Sally A. D. Romero.

The publisher of the Journal of Assisted Reproduction and Genetics can be contacted at: Springer|plenum Publishers, 233 Spring St, New York, NY 10013, USA.

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