Researchers at University of Pennsylvania Report New Data on Population Health (Health Insurance and Epigenetic Aging: Trends In a United States Adult Population): Health and Medicine – Population Health

2025 JUN 18 (NewsRx) -- By a News Reporter-Staff News Editor at Insurance Daily News -- Current study results on Health and Medicine - Population Health have been published. According to news reporting originating in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, by NewsRx journalists, research stated, “Health insurance plays an important role in reducing morbidity and mortality. Still, there is limited data examining the relationships of health insurance with biomarkers of aging that reflect morbidity and mortality risk.”

Financial supporters for this research include Leonard Davis Institute of Health Economics, National Institutes of Health (NIH) - USA, NIH National Institute on Minority Health & Health Disparities (NIMHD).

The news reporters obtained a quote from the research from the University of Pennsylvania, “We conducted a cross-sectional study of United States adults using data from the National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey (NHANES) to examine the relationships of health insurance with seven DNA methylation-based biomarkers of aging (epigenetic age): HannumAge, HorvathAge, SkinBloodAge, PhenoAge, GrimAge2, DNAm Telomere Length, and DunedinPoAm. Our analyses included 2315 participants with available health insurance and epigenetic aging data (mean [sd] age, 65.1 [9.3] years). Compared to the uninsured, having health insurance was associated with a 2.25-year lower GrimAge2 (95 %CI: -3.49, -1.02, P = 0.001) and a slower DunedinPoAm pace of aging (beta = -0.04, 95 %CI: -0.06, -0.02, P< 0.001) in basic demographic-adjusted models. GrimAge2 (beta = -1.42, 95 %CI: -2.75, -0.09, P = 0.04) and DunedinPoAm (beta = -0.03, 95 %CI: -0.06, -0.01, P = 0.02) relationships were attenuated after additional adjustments for general health, body mass index (BMI), education, occupation, and poverty-to-income ratio. Model estimates were larger if insurance plans were more comprehensive and included dental coverage and/or single service plans. When considering categories of insurance, similar trends were observed with private insurance and public insurance plans (i.e. Medicare, Medicaid/CHIP, and other government plans), although private insurance relationships were more often statistically significant.”

According to the news reporters, the research concluded: “Our findings suggest that epigenetic aging measures may be useful for examining the relationship between health insurance and population health, with potential implications for policy decisions.”

For more information on this research see: Health Insurance and Epigenetic Aging: Trends In a United States Adult Population. Ssm-population Health, 2025;30. Ssm-population Health can be contacted at: Elsevier Sci Ltd, 125 London Wall, London, England.

Our news correspondents report that additional information may be obtained by contacting Jamaji C. Nwanaji-Enwerem, University of Pennsylvania, Ctr Hlth Justice, Perelman School of Medicine, Dept. of Emergency Medicine, Philadelphia, PA, United States. Additional authors for this research include Dennis Khodasevich, Nicole Gladish, Hanyang Shen, David H. Rehkopf, Andres Cardenas, Saher Daredia and Belinda L. Needham.

The direct object identifier (DOI) for that additional information is: https://doi.org/10.1016/j.ssmph.2025.101806. 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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