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First published December 2006

How Much Health Insurance Is Enough? Revisiting the Concept of Underinsurance

Lynn A. Blewett, Andrew Ward, and Timothy J. BeebeView all authors and affiliations

https://doi.org/10.1177/1077558706293634

Abstract

There is little consensus on what constitutes adequate health insurance coverage. The concept of a lack of adequate coverage, or underinsurance, is a matter of ongoing debate. A measure of adequate coverage is of critical importance as the nature of health insurance products evolves. Changes to health coverage include more direct out-of-pocket spending by consumers and a reduction of covered benefits. This article updates and extends an earlier review of underinsurance measurement published in 1993. We present a conceptual approach to measuring underinsurance and provide a review of the empirical findings obtained from the application of these approaches. A discussion of the limitations in the selection of a measurement approach includes a review of the extant data sources used. We recommend a national effort to develop a consistent approach to monitor changes in the economic and structural dimensions of health insurance coverage with a concerted effort to define and measure underinsurance.

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1. Gray literature refers to material that often is not peer-reviewed and disseminated outside the traditional peer-reviewed journal or scholarly book (APA 2005).

2. The expression scope of benefits is from Gerst, Rogson, and Hetherington (1969).

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Medical Care Research and Review

Volume 63, Issue 6

Pages: 663 - 700

Article first published: December 2006

Issue published: December 2006

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PubMed: 17099121

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Lynn A. Blewett

University of Minnesota

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Andrew Ward

University of Minnesota

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Timothy J. Beebe

Mayo Clinic College of Medicine

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How Much Health Insurance Is Enough? Revisiting the Concept of Underinsurance

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