VALUES AND HEALTH CARE: THE RELATIONSHIP BETWEEN UNINSURED AND INSURED STATUS PURSUANT TO THE ROKEACH VALUE SURVEY

The health care industry is undergoing significant change, particularly with the passage of the Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act in March of 2010. Using the Rokeach Value survey, the value priorities of the insured and uninsured respondents were assessed. The value priorities were also evaluated for the demographics of gender, ethnicity, education, income, and age group. The terminal value of health was culled out as a moderator variable relative to its influence in the decision to seek health care coverage. The most significant contribution of this study reveals an increased understanding of consumer value preferences and demographics and their influence on health care coverage choices. In turn, it advances personal value theory in a health care context and its implications to behavior and decision-making. The results establish the role of health as a significant moderator variable in the decision process. These findings reveal a multitude of insights, not only for the academic researcher, but for practitioners and policymakers alike who are commissioned to execute the new health care reform bill over the next several years. As health care reform is implemented over the next several years, a combination of legislative and market-based solutions will be necessary to curtail the rising number of the uninsured, and ensure there are parity, equity, and morality in the distribution of health care for all Americans