Critical review of California healthcare business research

California Health Care Critique

The Pew Hispanic Centre estimated in March 2005 that the illegal population in California had been 2.4 million people in 2004. This figure shows that there is huge potential in the impact which the immigrant population is likely to have on the health care businesses and systems in California. As a result there have been calls by many to reform these systems and protect the system (Passel, 2005).

The study by Ponce and colleagues (2005) was designed to inform the official policy design in California which was about to be undertaken at that time regarding health insurance in the State. The authors of the article were all employed by health service deliverers within California, which gave them appropriate requisite knowledge to undertake the study.

Body of the Article

Study Design

The purpose of the study was to inform the design of State efforts to provide health insurance to uninsured working immigrants. The study used a quantitative approach which was based on population-based survey data. The study was designed to model the employment-based coverage, the eligibility of immigrants for public insurance programs, and the affordability of current insurance options.

Literature Review

The literature review was thorough in presenting information relating to the purpose of the study. Several previous studies were highlighted relating to the insurance coverage of immigrant workers, which indicates that the study was well informed with regard to implications of previous studies. The sources which were used in the literature review were all very current which also indicates that the evidence behind assumptions used in the study was current and relevant. It was identified that there were factors which may impact particularly on new immigrants to the U.S., such as lower levels of English proficiency. The literature review identified that the current research made no distinction between new and older immigrants, which may affect the findings relating to effectiveness of insurance coverage.

Measurement

The study measured the likelihood of employment-based coverage, eligibility for public programs and affordability of premiums as the dependent variables. These were measured against citizenship status and years lived in the U.S. As the independent variables. These measures were suitable for the purpose of the study, as they would indicate any differences which were apparent in health insurance coverage between legal and illegal migrants through direct comparison of the dependent variable outcomes. The measures would also indicate if these were affected by the length of time the immigrant had been in the U.S., which was important as the main purpose of the study was to identify potential differences in coverage effectiveness between older and newer immigrants.

Data Collection Methods

The data collection methods involved a survey of the immigrant population in California, which means that the data used in the survey, came directly from the source which the study wished to address. This is important as any analyses and conclusions which are drawn from the study are directly applicable to the intended population. The survey was issued in a wide variety of language, which ensured wide participation from the immigrant population and ensured that the language barrier was not a limitation to the study. The study conducted the survey over the telephone, which would have ensured a wider participation than postal survey. The study also gained a 55% participation from a total of 11,039 which indicates that the survey would be truly representative of the immigrant population due to the large numbers of immigrants participating. The surveys were conducted in 2000, which was 5 years before the article, which indicates that factors may have changed within the period. It may have been more accurate if the data were to be published within a shorter time period after collection.

Analysis