- New Syndrome May Be Affecting Babies Exposed to Fentanyl
- Wasabi Shows Memory-Boosting Powers in Study
- Newborns’ Brains Aren’t ‘Undeveloped’ Compared to Those of Infant Monkeys, Chimps
- Opioid Crisis May Be Driving Surge in Youth Suicides
- High Blood Pressure in Pregnancy Tied to Long-Term Heart Trouble for Hispanic Women
- Cognitive Decline May Come Earlier for People With Epilepsy
- Any Kind of Drug Abuse Treatment Can Help Gay Men Kick Meth Habit
- Surgery Helps Kids With Drug-Resistant Epilepsy, But Race Could Hinder Access
- Wildfires Are Undoing Gains Made Against Air Pollution
- Teens With Epilepsy Face Higher Odds for Eating Disorders
Those With Insurance More Likely to Use Preventive Care: Study

TUESDAY, Dec. 10 Americans with health insurance are more likely than uninsured people to use preventive services such as flu shots and health screenings, according to a new study.
They are no more likely, however, to take health risks such as smoking.
The findings challenge the common concern that expanding health care coverage to more people might encourage unhealthy behavior that increases health care use and costs, the researchers said.
“The notion that people with insurance will exhibit riskier behavior … has its roots in the early days of the property insurance industry,” study author Anthony Jerant, a professor of family and community medicine at the University of California, Davis, said in a university news release.
“After buying fire insurance, some people wouldn’t manage fire hazards on their property,” he said. “But health care is different. Someone might not care if their insured warehouse burns down, but most people want desperately to avoid illness.”
The researchers analyzed national data on the costs and uses of health care and found that the use of preventive care increased when people had health insurance and decreased when they were uninsured.
Insurance status had no effect on risky behaviors such as smoking, weight gain and not using a seat belt, according to the study, which was published in the November-December issue of the Journal of the American Board of Family Medicine.
“There has been a concern that people would say, ‘Hey, I have insurance now, I don’t have to worry about my diet. If I get heavy and develop a problem, I can just go to a doctor and have it treated,'” Jerant said. “We found that’s not the case. Health insurance coverage did not worsen the health habits we studied.”
On the other hand, insurance has an impact on healthy habits, said study co-author Kevin Fiscella, a professor of family medicine at the University of Rochester School of Medicine, in New York.
“These results do show that having health insurance affects the likelihood of receiving important preventive services that can potentially reduce the chance of a flu-related hospitalization or death, and prevent or detect colorectal or cervical cancer,” Fiscella said in the news release.
“This is a critical message, as many states continue to debate whether to expand Medicaid,” he said.
More information
The U.S. National Library of Medicine has more about health insurance.
Source: HealthDay
Copyright © 2023 HealthDay. All rights reserved.