Researcher from Brody School of Medicine at East Carolina University Discusses Findings in Health Insurance (Association of Gaps in Health Insurance Coverage With Unmet Needs for Vision Care Among Adults in Ohio): Health Insurance

2023 APR 27 (NewsRx) -- By a News Reporter-Staff News Editor at Insurance Daily News -- Investigators discuss new findings in health insurance. According to news originating from Greenville, North Carolina, by NewsRx correspondents, research stated, “Importance: Access to vision care is vital to diagnose and treat vision impairment and diseases. Previous studies found that currently uninsured adults have limited access to vision care.”

Our news reporters obtained a quote from the research from Brody School of Medicine at East Carolina University: “It is unclear whether a recent history (past 12 months) of gaps in insurance coverage likewise adversely affects access to vision care. To determine whether gaps in insurance coverage within the past 12 months are associated with higher risk of unmet needs for vision care among adults in Ohio. Design, Setting, and Participants: This cross-sectional study analyzed data for adults in Ohio from the 2021 Ohio Medicaid Assessment Survey (OMAS), which is conducted via web, telephone, and mail. Participants were residents 19 years or older who reported needing vision care or eyeglasses within the past 12 months. Exposures: Insurance coverage over the past 12 months, classified as continuous private, continuous public, gap in coverage, or year-round uninsured. Main Outcomes and Measure: Self-reported unmet need for vision care over the past 12 months. Based on a sample of 19 036 participants, we calculated that 4% of adults experienced recent coverage gaps (weighted total in the population, 180 259 of 4 518 841) while another 4% were year-round uninsured (187 552 adults). Unmet needs for vision care were reported by 13% (590 015 adults).”

According to the news editors, the research concluded: “On multivariable logistic regression, adults with gaps in coverage were at a higher risk of unmet vision care needs compared with adults who had continuous private coverage (odds ratio [OR], 2.9; 95% CI, 2.1-3.9; P < .001) or continuous public coverage (OR, 1.7; 95% CI, 1.3-2.4; P = .001). Conclusions and Relevance: This study found that gaps in health insurance coverage were associated with increased risk of unmet vision care needs among adults in Ohio compared with continuous private or public coverage. Policies that protect the continuity of health insurance coverage may help reduce the rate of unmet needs for vision care.”

For more information on this research see: Association of Gaps in Health Insurance Coverage With Unmet Needs for Vision Care Among Adults in Ohio. JAMA Ophthalmology, 2023. The publisher for JAMA Ophthalmology is American Medical Association (AMA).

A free version of this journal article is available at https://doi.org/10.1001/jamaophthalmol.2023.0847.

Our news journalists report that more information may be obtained by contacting Dmitry Tumin, Department of Pediatrics, Brody School of Medicine at East Carolina University, Greenville, North Carolina, United States. Additional authors for this research include Mufida Muhammad, Johnny Vang.

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