The Effect of Health Insurance on Health Care Utilization in the Justice-Involved Population: United States, 2014-2016

Objectives. To examine the impact of health insurance coverage on utilization of outpatient, hospital, and emergency department care among justice-involved individuals in the United States. Methods. We performed repeated cross-sectional analyses with data from the National Survey of Drug Use and Health. The study population included 6086 adults with justice involvement within the past year. We used logistic regression to examine the odds of health care utilization based on either a dichotomous or categorical measure of health insurance coverage. We used negative binomial regression to examine the number of times a specific type of care was utilized with both a dichotomous measure of health insurance coverage and a categorical measure of type of health insurance. Results. Health insurance was associated with increased utilization of outpatient, inpatient, and emergency department care. Conclusions. Health insurance coverage was associated with increased utilization of outpatient, inpatient, and emergency department health care among justice-involved individuals. Therefore, expanding access to health insurance in this population has the potential to increase care utilization of all types and decrease barriers to medical services.