Researchers from University San Ignacio of Loyola Report on Findings in COVID-19 (Measuring the Protective Effect of Health Insurance Coverage On Out-of-pocket Expenditures During the Covid-19 Pandemic In the Peruvian Population): Coronavirus – COVID-19

2021 DEC 10 (NewsRx) -- By a News Reporter-Staff News Editor at Insurance Daily News -- New research on Coronavirus - COVID-19 is the subject of a report. According to news reporting out of Lima, Peru, by NewsRx editors, research stated, “Health insurance coverage is expected to protect individuals from out-ofpocket (OOP) expenditures, potentially preventing them from falling into poverty. However, to date, the effect of health insurance on OOP spending during the COVID-19 pandemic has not been fully explored.”

Financial support for this research came from Universidad Privada Norbert Wiener.

Our news journalists obtained a quote from the research from the University San Ignacio of Loyola, “This study aimed to estimate differences in the proportion and the amount of OOP expenditures among Peruvians during the pre-and post-mandatory lockdown response to COVID-19 in 2020 according to the health insurance coverage status. This study utilized repeated cross-sectional data from the National Household Survey on Living and Poverty Conditions from the first quarter of 2017 until the fourth quarter of 2020. The outcomes were i) the proportion of individuals who incurred OOP expenditures and ii) the monetary value of OOP expenditures. An interrupted time series analysis (ITS) and a quasi-experimental difference-in-difference (DID) analysis were performed to examine the outcomes among the control (individuals without health insurance) and treatment groups (individuals with health insurance) after the COVID-19 pandemic. ITS analysis showed that the proportion of individuals reporting OOP expenditures after implementation of mandatory lockdown due to COVID-19 in Peru decreased in both groups, but no difference in the slope trend was found (p=0.916). The average quarterly amount of OOP spending increased in both groups, but no difference in the slope trend was found (p=0.073). Lastly, the DID analysis showed that the mandatory lockdown was associated with a higher amount of OOP, but there was no evidence to indicate that the higher amount was different between the control and treatment groups. The mandatory lockdown in response to the COVID-19 was associated with a higher amount of OOP expenditures and a lower likelihood of incurring OOP expenditures.”

According to the news editors, the research concluded: “However, our findings suggest that health insurance coverage does not lower OOP expenditures or reduce the likelihood of incurring OOP expenditures.”

For more information on this research see: Measuring the Protective Effect of Health Insurance Coverage On Out-of-pocket Expenditures During the Covid-19 Pandemic In the Peruvian Population. International Journal of Health Policy and Management, 2021. International Journal of Health Policy and Management can be contacted at: Kerman Univ Medical Sciences, Jahad Blvd, Kerman, 7619813159, Iran.

Our news journalists report that additional information may be obtained by contacting Akram Hernandez-Vasquez, University San Ignacio of Loyola, Ctr Excelencia Invest Econ & Sociales Salud, Invest, Lima, Peru. Additional authors for this research include Carlos Rojas-Roque, Antonio Barrenechea-Pulache and Guido Bendezu-Quispe.

The direct object identifier (DOI) for that additional information is: https://doi.org/10.34172/ijhpm.2021.154. 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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