What Other Programs Can Teach Us: Increasing Participation in Health Insurance Programs
Dahlia K. Remler, PhD and
Sherry A. Glied, PhD
The authors are with the Department of Health Policy and Management, Mailman School of Public Health, Columbia University, New York, NY.
Correspondence: Requests for reprints should be sent to Dahlia K. Remler, Department of Health Policy and Management, Mailman School of Public Health, Columbia University, 600 West 168th St, 6th Floor, New York, NY 10032 (e-mail: dr404{at}columbia.edu).
Many uninsured Americans are already eligible for free or low-costpublic coverage through Medicaid or Childrens HealthInsurance Program (CHIP) but do not "take up" that coverage.However, several other public programs, such as food stampsand unemployment insurance, also have less-than-complete take-uprates, and take-up rates vary considerably among programs.
This article examines the take-up literature across a varietyof programs to learn what effects nonfinancial features, suchas administrative complexity, have on take-up. We find thatmaking benefit receipt automatic is the most effective meansof ensuring high take-up, while there is little evidence thatstigma is important.
This article has been cited by other articles:
S. A. Glied, J. Hartz, and G. Giorgi Consider It Done? The Likely Efficacy Of Mandates For Health Insurance
Health Aff.,
November 1, 2007;
26(6):
1612 - 1621.
[Abstract][Full Text][PDF]
D. Mechanic and J. Tanner Vulnerable People, Groups, And Populations: Societal View
Health Aff.,
September 1, 2007;
26(5):
1220 - 1230.
[Abstract][Full Text][PDF]
J. Hadley The Effects of Recent Employment Changes and Premium Increases on Adults' Insurance Coverage
Med Care Res Rev,
August 1, 2006;
63(4):
447 - 476.
[Abstract][PDF]
S. J. Blumberg, K. S. O'Connor, and G. Kenney Unworried Parents of Well Children: A Look at Uninsured Children Who Reportedly Do Not Need Health Insurance
Pediatrics,
August 1, 2005;
116(2):
345 - 351.
[Abstract][Full Text][PDF]
E. J. Emanuel and V. R. Fuchs Health Care Vouchers -- A Proposal for Universal Coverage
N. Engl. J. Med.,
March 24, 2005;
352(12):
1255 - 1260.
[Full Text][PDF]