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This report includes one measure of policy—health insurance, which is measured as the percentage who have health insurance privately, through their employer, or through the government. People who have health insurance are more likely to receive timely and appropriate medical care, have better self-reported health status, and are protected from the threat of catastrophic health care expenses. The U.S. Department of Defense (DoD) and Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) provide health insurance benefits for members of the military, veterans, and their families. However, access to VA benefits depends on several factors, including character of discharge. National data show DoD and VA benefits are not the leading or primary source of health insurance for those who have served. About half of all veterans are covered through Medicare, and employer-sponsored plans are the leading source of coverage for working-age veterans.
How Have Health Insurance Rates Changed Since 2011-2012 for Those Who Have Served? Encouraging Improvements: - Health insurance rates increased by 5% from 88.2% to 92.7% among those who have served - Rates increased significantly across virtually all subgroups who have served, by gender, age, and race/ethnicity - Those earning less than $25,000 experienced the largest insurance gains, with rates increasing by 16% from 70.6% to 82.2%
Findings from this study reveal that those who have served have significantly higher rates of health insurance than those who have not served, overall (92.7% vs. 86.9%) and among most subpopulation groups. Of note:
- Many minority groups who have served have significantly higher rates of health insurance than those who have not served. For example, Hispanics (90.1% vs. 71.8%), Hawaiian/Pacific Islanders (93.7% vs. 83.9%), and blacks (91.3% vs. 85.4%) have significantly higher rates of insurance than their peers who have not served.
- Those with lower levels of education and income who have served are significantly more likely than their non-served peers to have coverage.
