Research Study Findings from St. Louis University Update Understanding of Public Health (Health Insurance Literacy and Medical Care Avoidance Among International Students: A Case Study): Health and Medicine – Public Health

2023 OCT 19 (NewsRx) -- By a News Reporter-Staff News Editor at Insurance Daily News -- Data detailed on public health have been presented. According to news reporting out of St. Louis University by NewsRx editors, research stated, “This research examines the health insurance literacy and healthcare utilization of international students attending a university in the US Midwest.”

The news journalists obtained a quote from the research from St. Louis University: “One hundred and forty-three undergraduate and graduate students attending a midsize metropolitan university in the Midwest completed an online survey in early 2022. Many students surveyed could not identify the definitions of basic terms, such as copay. Furthermore, about 80% of students surveyed could not determine their financial responsibilities in two medical settings. Regression results show that the continent they are from and the length of their stay in the United States significantly predict their understanding of key health insurance terms. More than half of the international students surveyed indicated they often feel confused about their health insurance (57.34%). Only about 20% have delayed or skipped care due to unfamiliarity with the health insurance system.”

According to the news reporters, the research concluded: “The health insurance literacy of most international students at the midwestern university we surveyed is not ideal. This and possibly other universities in the United States should take more initiatives to help their international students understand the health insurance system.”

For more information on this research see: Health Insurance Literacy and Medical Care Avoidance Among International Students: A Case Study. International Journal of Public Health, 2023,68. The publisher for International Journal of Public Health is Frontiers Media S.A.

A free version of this journal article is available at https://doi.org/10.3389/ijph.2023.1605788.

Our news editors report that additional information may be obtained by contacting Echu Liu, Department of Health Management and Policy, St. Louis University, Saint Louis, MO, United States. Additional authors for this research include Samantha A. Arledge, Miao Cai, Donghua Tao, Wei Li.

(Our reports deliver fact-based news of research and discoveries from around the world.)