Honors College Theses

Publication Date

5-3-2017

Major

Health Sciences for Health Education & Promotion (B.S.)

Document Type and Release Option

Thesis (open access)

Faculty Mentor

Dr. Ashley Walker

Abstract

Rising healthcare cost in the United States has created a need to understand how a lack of healthcare coverage is decreasing women’s quality of life and leading to negative health outcomes. Though the goal of the 2010 Affordable Care Act is to give more Americans access to affordable health insurance and to reduce the growth in health care spending, it still remains unaffordable for many Americans. The purpose of this study was to identify what ecological factors impede and/or promote the quality of life for medically uninsured women. Through a focus group, participants shared information on how living without health insurance has affected their quality of life. The participants of the study were medically uninsured women who have an income at or below 200% of the federal poverty guideline. The results of this study uncovered the women’s challenges and how lack of healthcare coverage has affected their quality of life. Results supported the identification of the main ecological factors which include: (1) importance of a free clinic, (2) sacristy of options (3) the cost of care, and (4) cost of medications. Though the study does not represent every medically uninsured woman in the United States, many of the themes identified are likely to be same for them as they were for the women in South East Georgia

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