309735
Health Insurance and AAPIs: A Disaggregated Analysis and Visualization of Census Data from 2010-2012
To better understand the factors contributing to disparities in health insurance coverage among AAPIs, we analyze and visualize Census data from 2010-2012 American Community Surveys that have been disaggregated for the six largest AAPI ethnic groups in the United States: Asian Indian, Chinese, Filipino, Japanese, Korean, and Vietnamese Americans.
Because of limitations in Census data reporting, we use an innovative approach of first formulating a regression model to identify the combination of socioeconomic and acculturative variables that correlate with and accurately explain the differences in health insurance rates across the six AAPI ethnic groups. Using these variables as benchmarks for predicting health insurance coverage, we then use several data visualization techniques to understand why certain AAPI ethnic groups are performing better or worse in health insurance coverage.
Multiple regression analysis done through IBM SPSS Statistics found a model showing a combination of socioeconomic factors – household income, rate of self-employment, and educational attainment – as well as acculturative factors – rate of native born and limited English proficiency – that each produced statistically significant correlations with the differences in health insurance coverage observed among AAPI ethnic groups (R2= 57.4%).
Further analysis and data visualization techniques also identified relationships between health insurance and political favorability to healthcare reform, with policy implications for Medicaid expansion and state/federal health marketplace enrollment for AAPIs.
Learning Areas:
Advocacy for health and health educationBiostatistics, economics
Communication and informatics
Planning of health education strategies, interventions, and programs
Public health or related public policy
Systems thinking models (conceptual and theoretical models), applications related to public health
Learning Objectives:
Identify and compare rates of health insurance coverage among specific Asian American and Pacific Islander communities via disaggregation of U.S. Census data from 2010-2012.
2. Analyze the socioeconomic, acculturative, and demographic characteristics that are accounting for disparities in health insurance coverage among disaggregated Asian American and Pacific Islander communities.
3. Formulate a regression model to accurately explain and predict variables correlated with health insurance coverage for Asian Americans and Pacific Islanders.
4. Discuss how this model interacts within the sphere of current U.S. healthcare and health policy reform, particularly in relation to the Affordable Care Act's expansion of Medicaid and state/federal health insurance marketplaces.
5. Discuss future strategies and reforms to improve health insurance coverage for Asian American and Pacific Islander communities.
6. Discuss future strategies and reforms to improve data collection and data visualization related to health insurance coverage for Asian American and Pacific Islander communities.
Keyword(s): Health Insurance, Affordable Care Act
Qualified on the content I am responsible for because: I have been involved with many academic organizations and public institutions related to the study and policy advocacy of AAPI health, including the NYU Center for Study of Asian American Health, the White House Initiative on Asian Americans and Pacific Islanders, and the National Taskforce on Hepatitis B. My paper on "Disparities in Health Insurance Coverage among Asian Americans" was published by the Harvard Kennedy School's Asian American Policy Review Journal last year.
Any relevant financial relationships? No
I agree to comply with the American Public Health Association Conflict of Interest and Commercial Support Guidelines, and to disclose to the participants any off-label or experimental uses of a commercial product or service discussed in my presentation.