The impact of health insurance on college students' lives

Abstract

Researchers have found evidence that college students who had inadequate health insurance tended to have difficulties focusing on their academics and work (Cook & Holahan, 2008; Arnold & Nicoteri, 2005; D'Heilly, Ehlinger, & Nichol, 2005; Molnar, 2002). The central research question in this study was, "What are college student attitudes regarding the impact of health insurance on their lives?" The authors predicted that uninsured college students would suffer higher stress levels and lower overall quality of life, poor academic and work performance, and larger financial burdens. The participants were 192 male and female undergraduate students at a university in Wisconsin. Survey data was statistically analyzed using cross-tabulations, mean comparisons, independent t-tests, and a reliability analysis. Statistically significant mean differences were found in support of the hypotheses. Implications for practitioners in college health services are to increase awareness, prevention, and access to comprehensive health services among all students. Implications for future research would be to use a larger and random sample in order to be able to generalize to the greater college student population.