Table 4. Consumer Beliefs and Their Understanding of Aggregate and Quantitative Concepts.
| Measure | Total1 | Privately Insured2 | Medicaid3 | Uninsured4 |
|---|---|---|---|---|
|
| ||||
| Percent | ||||
| Aggregate or Quantitative Concepts (Round 2) | ||||
| Total | 43 (142/333) |
32.9 | **49.9 | *45.2 |
| Doesn't Understand Rates | 11 (37/333) |
5.1 | ***15.2 | ***13.0 |
| Doesn't Understand the Nature of Comparison or Aggregate Data | 15 (49/333) |
8.8 | ***19.0 | **17.8 |
| Doesn't Understand the Population-Based Definition of Quality of Care | 17 (56/333) |
19.0 | 15.7 | 14.4 |
| Plan-Related Concepts (Round 3) | ||||
| Total | 57 (189/333) |
60.6 | 60.7 | 55.6 |
| Doesn't Believe That Differences in Quality Exist Among Plans or Providers in the Plan | 7 (23/333) |
6.6 | 7.7 | 6.7 |
| Doesn't See What Aspects of Care in the Plan the QCI Tells about | 21 (70/333) |
24.1 | 23.9 | 21.1 |
| Belief That the Plan Has No Role in the QCIs' Performance | 29 (96/333) |
29.9 | 29.1 | 27.8 |
| Deterministic Beliefs (Round 3) | ||||
| Total | 26 (86/333) |
23.4 | 31.6 | 28.9 |
| Believes the Problem Related to the QCI Is Just Not Reducible | 11 (37/333) |
6.6 | ***17.9 | ***15.6 |
| Doesn't See the Value of Preventive Health Measures or Public Health | 15 (49/333) |
16.8 | 13.7 | 13.3 |
1
333 low-comprehension comments.
2
132 low-comprehension comments.
3
114 low-comprehension comments.
4
87 low-comprehension comments.
*
p<.05.
**
p<.01.
***
p<.001.
NOTES: Privately insured consumers are the reference group for the chi-square analysis. Medicaid and uninsured consumers are compared to the privately insured. Each coding round has a separate set of mutually exclusive codes (with the potential to sum to 100 percent for that round).
SOURCE: Jewett, J.J., and Hibbard, J.H., University of Oregon, Department of Planning, Public Policy and Management, 1995.