Underinsured Parents Cut Corners on Children’s Health Care, SOARnet Study Finds

More than one in eight Dayton-area parents surveyed in a SOARnet study of underinsured children in pediatric clinics said they had forgone physician-recommended care for their child due to cost concerns. According to the Dayton Daily News:

Boonshoft School of Medicine researchers analyzed surveys completed by 1,978 parents from July to September 2009.

“It’s concerning to me that parents are put in this situation that they have to make difficult financial choices that may have a negative impact on their child’s health,” said Dr. Greg Eberhart, community coordinator for the Southwestern Ohio Ambulatory Research Network. Thirteen of 14 SOAR-NET practices participated in the survey. “We should not put our children’s health at risk because of financial restraints.”

The researchers considered children “underinsured” if their parents hadn’t followed at least one recommendation from a pediatrician during the previous year due to insufficient coverage. Read more.

SOARnet investigators presented this research on Oct. 26 at the 2010 Central Research Forum at Wright State University and on Oct. 3 at the American Academy of Pediatrics conference in San Francisco.

Invitation to the Central research Forum – Oct. 26

Please join us Tuesday, Oct. 26, when the Office of Research Affairs presents the 2010 Central Research Forum in the WSU Student Union.  Program highlights include:

2:30-3:30 p.m. (Room E156) Practice-Based Research at SOARnet: This session is held in conjunction with the Medical Student Research Club’s Translational Research Lecture Series.

3:30-4:30 p.m. (Room E156) Research Centers of Excellence: This session features our newest research centers of excellence, the  WSU and PHP Neuroscience Institute and the National Center for Medical Readiness.

4:40 p.m. (Room E156) Data Blitz: Twelve presenters will get 2 minutes each (using just one overhead transparency) to tell the audience why they should take a closer look at the presenter’s research during the poster session.

5:00-7:00 p.m. (Apollo Room) Poster Session and  Reception: We have 62 posters, including 10 by medical students, showcasing the range of biomedical, clinical, and medical education research at WSU. See the list of poster presenters (MS Word).  See more CRF program details.

If you have questions about the Central Research Forum, please contact Mark Willis (mark.willis@wright.edu).

RSP Presents “Proposal Writing 101”

Have you wanted to write a grant proposal but don’t know how to get started?  WSU’s Office of Research and Sponsored Programs (RSP) is offering a seminar on “Proposal Writing 101” on Thursday, Oct. 14, from 11:30 a.m. -1:00 p.m. in E163 Student Union on the WSU main campus.

This lecture-style training seminar walks novice grant writers through the process of writing a proposal and covers the basics such as describing the main components of the proposal, where to find funding, proposal writing tips, and budget preparation.

Please RSVP by Oct. 12 to Jan Power at 937-775-2425 or via email to janice.power@wright.edu.

Practice-Based Research: Parents’ Perspectives On Their Children’s Health Insurance

Wright State researchers with SOARnet, the Southwestern Ohio Ambulatory Research Network, report that children covered by private health insurance were twice as likely to be underinsured than children with public health insurance. Their study, presented at the annual meeting of the American Academy of Pediatrics in San Francisco, is titled “Parents’ Perspectives On Their Children’s Health Insurance: Plight of the Uninsured.”

According to a news story in today’s Los Angeles Times:

Researchers from the Wright State University Boonshoft School of Medicine in Ohio surveyed 1,978 parents to see if health insurance — or the lack of it — was a factor in following doctors’ orders. About 13% of parents said they couldn’t fulfill at least one of their child’s doctor’s recommendations in the last year because they couldn’t afford it. This constituted being underinsured by the researchers.

There was a divide among insured and underinsured children. The study authors found that children with private insurance were about two times as likely as children with public insurance to be underinsured, after they adjusted for annual family income and health status. And after controlling for various demographic factors, the authors discovered that having an annual family income between $15,000 and $34,999 was the best forecaster of a child’s health taking a hit because the family couldn’t pay.

Those with the lowest and highest incomes were less inclined to have a tough time getting needed healthcare for their kids, since those with the lowest incomes probably had public insurance, and those with the highest incomes likely had better private insurance than those with middle incomes.

Authors of the study were John M. Pascoe, M.D., M.P.H.; William Spears, Ph.D.; and Caroline McNicholas.

SOARnet investigators will discuss the practice-based research network at the 2010 Central Research Forum on Tuesday, Oct. 26.