Korean immigrants and health care access: Implications for the uninsured and underinsured

Abstract

As an ethnic group, Korean Americans have one of the highest uninsured rates in the U.S. (Brown et al., 2000). Through in-depth interviews (n=14) and surveys (n=268), this study found that one-third of the sample was uninsured. High premiums prevented the uninsured from purchasing health insurance. Although health insurance has been a strong predictor of health services utilization, this study also found that when examining the utilization of various health services by health insurance status, there were no major significant differences with the exception of Korean traditional health services. High deductibles prevented insured persons from utilizing health services.

Citation

Yoo, G.J. and Kim, B.W. (2007), "Korean immigrants and health care access: Implications for the uninsured and underinsured", Jacobs Kronenfeld, J. (Ed.) Inequalities and Disparities in Health Care and Health: Concerns of Patients, Providers and Insurers (Research in the Sociology of Health Care, Vol. 25), Emerald Group Publishing Limited, Leeds, pp. 77-94. https://doi.org/10.1016/S0275-4959(07)00004-X