Introduction:Within the United States of America, over 17% of the general population is currently without any form of health insurance (P.R. 2014). Among these individuals living without insurance is a significant number that do not believe they should be paying for insurance on any form of regular basis. Among these Americans continues a belief that health insurance forms an undue burden that does not benefit them (P.R. 2014). To assess these individuals, a mixed methods research approach is necessary. A qualitative design could be employed to conduct surveys among small groups of people to better understand why they go without health insurance (Creswell, 2009). Parallel to this, a quantitative approach could be employed to help better understand the results of the qualitative study. A quantitative approach can also help better understand the effectiveness of having health insurance and the frequency by which Americans regularly benefit from it (Creswell, 2009).
Purpose Statement:
The objective of this methods study will be to determine motivations among both insured and non-insured populations. The goal will be to identify why people choose not to have health care as well as what motivates them to have healthcare. Responses from individuals will be qualitative and broad but coded in order to ease a later quantitative approach in determining the major trends in insurance decisions. Analysis shall be conducted to determine the relationship between the motivations, which can be independent variables, and insured status, which can be dependent variables. Analysis will be conducted to determine the relationship of these variables (Creswell, 2009). The qualitative portion of the interview will be semi-structured in the hope of allowing enough freedom among the participants to communicate their experiences broadly, from which trends can be identified and coded. Regressional analysis will compromise the quantitative method o assessing qualitative answers drawn from surveys and interviews of the participants. Following this, it is hoped that the study can be used to help generate new ideas on how the health care insurance program can be improved and encourage greater participation among the population.
Research Questions:
How many individuals believed that health insurance served no purpose?
What class differences existed between those individuals with health insurance and those without it?
How many individuals with health insurance have used it for any purpose?
Among individuals that used their health insurance, did they believe it covered their needs?
Research Plan:
A convenience sample will be drawn with a basis of socioeconomic status and health insurance status contouring the population from which the sample will be drawn (Creswell, 2009). A small group will be taken from this convenience sample and interviewed. From these interviews, a data analysis will be employed. The time span in which it is employed will help researchers to better understand differences in health care status and to identify trends in individual responses (Creswell, 2009). Responses can be measured for variance over time, given the time span in which the study will be conducted. A quantitative approach will then be employed to analyze different aspects of participants’ lives (Creswell, 2009). Regression analysis will be performed on the data drawn form the participants’ coded responses to identify trends in both insured and non-insured groups. This combined method will be used to form the basis of a theory concerning insurance status and the willingness to acquire insurance.
- Creswell, J. (2009). Research design: Qualitative, quantitative, and mixed methods approaches (Laureate Education, Inc., custom ed.). Thousand Oaks, CA: Sage Publications.
- PR, N. (2015, January 14). Upcoming Tax Season Set to Impact the 28 Percent of Uninsured Americans Who Feel Health Expenses Plus the Tax Penalty is Less Expensive than available Insurance Options. PR Newswire US.
