Veterans' Health Insurance Status and Their Use of VA Medical Facilities: A Joint-Choice Analysis

In: Social science quarterly, Band 77, Heft 2, S. 393-406

Abstract

Factors that most likely influence a veteran to have health insurance & to use a Veterans Affairs (VA) medical facility (joint-choice case) were assessed by analyzing data from the third Survey of Veterans (N = 9,442 respondents, 1987) under a bivariate probit specification. Findings indicate that a veteran's decision to use a VA facility is largely dependent on whether the individual has some type of health insurance coverage. A simple simulation highlights the impact of veterans' disability status, relative to their household income, in terms of their probabilities of having health insurance & using a VA facility. Changes in how health care is provided to vulnerable populations could increase the demand for VA care, given that veterans with low incomes & disabilities have a greater propensity to use VA. These findings could provide a baseline for the potential increased usage of VA care. 3 Tables, 25 References. Adapted from the source document.