Article
The Impact of Health Insurance Coverage on Patient Satisfaction: The Mediating Role of Prescription Drug Access
Rising healthcare costs and supply chain disruptions have heightened the need for adequate health insurance to ensure equitable access to drugs. Patients often report dissatisfaction due to delays, out-of-pocket expenses, and poor logistics, underscoring the role of insurance in bridging gaps. Access to essential medicines and efficient pharmaceutical logistics remain critical challenges in healthcare delivery, particularly in systems with rising treatment costs. Health insurance coverage plays a significant role in improving the affordability, availability, and continuity of drug supply. However, limited empirical evidence exists on how insurance coverage influences patient satisfaction, particularly regarding drug access and logistics services.
The purpose of this study is to examine the role of health insurance coverage in enhancing patient satisfaction with drug access and pharmaceutical logistics services, including availability, affordability, timeliness, and reliability of medicine delivery. The study investigates how levels of health insurance coverage affect patient satisfaction with drug availability, delivery timeliness, and overall logistics efficiency in pharmaceutical services.
The findings indicate a significant positive relationship between health insurance coverage and patient satisfaction with drug access and logistics services. Insured patients reported higher satisfaction with the affordability of medicine, reduced out-of-pocket expenditures, timely availability, and smoother logistics processes than uninsured or partially insured patients. Claim-related delays and limited drug coverage were identified as key factors affecting dissatisfaction. Insured patients showed 68% higher satisfaction with drug access (mean score 4.5 vs. 3.1, p<0.01) and 52% better logistics ratings (mean 4.3 vs. 2.9, p<0.001). Coverage depth correlated positively with satisfaction (r=0.72). Key barriers for the uninsured included cost (73%) and delays (61%).