Residential High-Speed Internet Among Those Likely to Benefit From an Online Health Insurance Marketplace. (16th January 2016)

• Record Type: Journal Article
• Authors: Boudreaux, Michel H.; Gonzales, Gilbert; Blewett, Lynn; Fried, Brett; Karaca-Mandic, Pinar
• Is Part Of: Inquiry. Volume 53(2016)
• Publication Date: 2016-01-16
• Subjects: Affordable Care Act -- Digital Divide -- Internet -- Online Health Insurance Marketplace -- Health Insurance; Medical policy -- United States -- Periodicals; Medical care, Cost of -- United States -- Periodicals; Hospitalization insurance -- United States -- Periodicals; 362.10973
• DOI: 10.1177/0046958015625231
• Languages: English
• ISSNs: 0046-9580

Abstract

Using data from the 2013 American Community Survey, we found that 24.3 million people (about 1 in 4) who were either eligible for Medicaid/Children's Health Inusrance Program (CHIP) or appeared likely to shop for Qualified Health Plan (QHP) lacked residential high-speed Internet. Specifically, 28.6% or 18.9 million people eligible for Medicaid/CHIP and 17.1% or 5.5 million people who appeared likely to shop for a QHP did not have high-speed Internet in the home. For both the Medicaid/CHIP eligible and those likely to shop for a QHP, the proportion of people living in households without Internet varied substantially by race, geography, and other socio-demographic characteristics.