The Impact of the Affordable Care Act on Korean American Health Insurance and Health Service Utilization

To better understand the rising concern of limited health insurance coverage and health service utilization in the Korean American community, the purpose of this study was to examine whether members of the Korean American population in the District of Columbia, Maryland, and Northern Virginia, (DMV) have health insurance, utilize health care services, and how the Affordable Care Act (ACA) has influenced their decisions to obtain health insurance and utilize health services. Surveys were conducted with members of the Korean American population located in the DMV area. Surveys were conducted in English or Korean based on the language preference of the participant. Participants were recruited through flyers posted at local Korean community centers, local Korean churches, local Korean markets, social media and referrals by participants. Ninety one participants were surveyed. 16.5% of participants did not have any form of health insurance. Approximately 75% of participants noted that they saw a doctor within the last year, 61% saw a doctor even when not sick, 59% have visited an emergency room, and 79% stated that it was either very easy or somewhat easy to get the health care they needed. The findings suggest that in the DMV area health insurance coverage is relatively high in the Korean American population compared to findings from previous studies, although coverage rates are still below national averages. These findings may lead to the development of more effective intervention strategies to increase health insurance coverage. In addition, the findings of this study will hopefully become a foundation for a larger study looking into health insurance and health service utilization of the Korean American population.