Does COVID-2019 have an Impact on the Purchase Intention of Commercial Long-Term Care Insurance among the Elderly in China?

PURPOSE

As an important measure to alleviate long-term care (LTC) costs for the disabled due to the aging of the population, long-term care insurance (LTCI) system has been paid more attention in China. In addition to the government-led public LTCI system that has been piloted in cities such as Qingdao, Chongqing and Shanghai, health insurers such as the China Life Insurance Company are also experimenting with various types of commercial LTCI in the private market. However, the commercial LTCI market is developing very slowly due to public awareness and other reasons. On the other hand, COVID-2019 has had an impact on the cognition of the importance of long-term care for the elderly due to the fact that the death cases of COVID-2019 have been mainly concentrated in the elderly population with chronic diseases such as hypertension. Therefore, the purpose of this study is to explore the differences in the purchase intention of commercial LTCI among the elderly in two different periods: before and after the outbreak of COVID-2019.

METHODS

By using the Andersen behavioral model and two investigations in two different periods before and after the outbreak of COVID-2019, this study explores the impacts of COVID-2019 on the purchase intention of commercial LTCI.

RESULTS

Some significant discoveries were found. For example, 25.8% of interviewees showed purchase intention in LTCI in the time before the COVID-2019 outbreak, while this proportion increased to 37.6% after the COVID-2019 outbreak. People who were younger (OR = 2.128, before COVID-2019; OR = 1.875, after COVID-2019) or who had more education (OR = 1.502, before COVID-2019; OR = 2.218, after COVID-2019) were more interested in commercial LTCI.

CONCLUSION

This study shows that COVID-2019 has had an obvious impact on the purchase intention of commercial LTCI, which provides some enlightenment for China to improve the LTCI system in the future, especially to accelerate the development of commercial LTCI. For example, it is essential to promote the importance of long-term care among the elderly in a focused and targeted way. In terms of the key target audience, it can be developed gradually from the groups with higher education levels and the middle elderly aged 45-64 years old.

What Affects the Demand for Long-Term Care Insurance? A Study of Middle-Aged and Older Adults in Hong Kong

Despite the potential of private insurance in financing long-term care (LTC), its coverage remains rather limited. This study is built on a comprehensive framework to examine the demand for LTC insurance in Hong Kong, a rapidly aging Asian society. A telephone survey was conducted in 2016 to collect data that formed a sample of 1,474 middle-aged and older adults. Multivariate analysis reveals more nuanced characteristics of Hong Kong middle-aged and older adults who tend to show a demand for LTC insurance, including: (a) being younger, better educated, relatively high status, and financially literate; (b) living with children but reluctant to be a burden on the family; (c) being in a better financial situation and able to afford premiums; and (d) anticipation of LTC needs and dependence, and a preference for formal care. This study offers preliminary evidence to understand the demand structure of the LTC insurance market in an Asian society.

National newspaper portrayal of U.S. nursing homes: periodic treatment of topic and tone

CONTEXT

Although observers have long highlighted the relationship of public distrust, government regulation, and media depictions of nursing-home scandals, no study has systematically analyzed the way in which nursing homes have been portrayed in the national media. This study examines how nursing homes were depicted in four leading national newspapers-the New York Times, Washington Post, Chicago Tribune, and Los Angeles Times-from 1999 to 2008.

METHODS

We used keyword searches of the LexisNexis database to identify 1,704 articles pertaining to nursing homes. We then analyzed the content of each article and assessed its tone, themes, prominence, and central actor. We used basic frequencies and descriptive statistics to examine the articles' content, both cross-sectionally and over time.

FINDINGS

Approximately one-third of the articles were published in 1999/2000, and a comparatively high percentage (12.4%) appeared in 2005. Most were news stories (89.8%), and about one-quarter were on the front page of the newspaper or section. Most focused on government (42.3%) or industry (39.2%) interests, with very few on residents/family (13.3%) and community (5.3%) concerns. Most were negative (45.1%) or neutral (37.0%) in tone, and very few were positive (9.6%) or mixed (8.3%). Common themes were quality (57.0%), financing (33.4%), and negligence/fraud (28.1%). Both tone and themes varied across newspapers and years.

CONCLUSIONS

Overall, our findings highlight the longitudinal variation in the four widely read newspapers' framing of nursing-home coverage, regarding not only tone but also shifts in media attention from one aspect of this complex policy area to another. The predominantly negative media reports contribute to the poor public opinion of nursing homes and, in turn, of the people who live and work in them. These reports also place nursing homes at a competitive disadvantage and may pose challenges to health delivery reform, including care integration across settings.

Delay in seeing a doctor due to cost: disparity between older adults with and without disabilities in the United States

OBJECTIVE

To examine the disparity in delaying seeing a doctor due to cost between older adults with and without disabilities, and whether the disparity could be explained by health and financial variables.

DATA SOURCES

Nationally representative sample of community-dwelling adults aged ≥65 who have health insurance and a usual source of care from the 2006 Behavioral Risk Factor Surveillance System (n = 85,015).

STUDY DESIGN

This cross-sectional study used sequential logistic regression models to examine the associations of delaying seeing a doctor due to cost with disability status, including demographic, health, and financial variables.

PRINCIPAL FINDINGS

Older adults with disabilities had significantly higher odds of delaying seeing a doctor due to cost compared to older adults without disabilities after controlling for demographic, health, and financial factors. Although health and financial variables collectively attenuated the disparity, they did not fully explain the disparity.

CONCLUSIONS

Despite having health insurance and a usual source of care, older adults with disabilities encountered greater economic difficulties in seeing a doctor than their counterparts without disabilities. Policy makers should continue addressing the economic burden to improve timely visits to health care providers.

The Commonwealth Fund Survey of Long-Term Care Specialists

The Commonwealth Fund Survey of Long-Term Care of Specialists was administered via the World Wide Web from September 2007 through March 2008. The primary purpose was to characterize the views of those with known or demonstrable experience and expertise with at least one aspect of long-term care. Among 2,577 potential respondents, 1,147 completed the entire survey for an overall response rate of 44.5%. This special supplement of Medical Care Research and Review uses data collected from the survey to explore several issue areas, namely, reforming long-term care financing, improving government oversight, adopting nursing home culture change, and rebalancing long-term care away from institutions toward home- and community-based services. Analyses documenting the opinion networks of long-term care specialists and the relationship between network characteristics and attitudes toward reform are also reported. Two leading experts provide commentary as well. Details of the study's methodology and issue content are described.