Publication:

• Title: Breaking Health Insurance Knowledge Barriers Through Games: Pilot Test of Health Care America
• Journal: JMIR Serious Games
• Publication Date: November 16, 2017
• DOI: 10.2196/games.7818

Authors:

• Sara Champlin, PhD, Mayborn School of Journalism, University of North Texas
• Juli James, MA, Mayborn School of Journalism, University of North Texas

Project Overview: This project aimed to bridge the gap in health insurance literacy among young adults by developing and testing an interactive game called "Health Care America." I designed and developed the game to deliver essential health insurance information through engaging scenarios based on real-world stories, national news, and health insurance company data.

Objectives:

• Enhance understanding of health insurance terms and concepts among young adults.
• Improve both self-reported and objective knowledge of health insurance usage through gameplay.
• Engage an otherwise apathetic audience using an interactive and cost-efficient gaming approach.

Methodology:

• Participants: 72 young adults participated in in-person, individual gaming sessions.
• Procedure: Participants completed surveys before and after gameplay to measure changes in their understanding of health insurance.
• Game Design: The game featured five client cases reflecting real-world health insurance challenges, using simple graphics, narrative text, and player choices to impact community wellness and healthcare assistance funds.

Results:

• Participants reported a greater understanding of how to use health insurance from pre- (mean=3.38) to post-gameplay (mean=3.76), with significant improvements in understanding health insurance terms.
• The proportion of participants correctly defining health insurance terms increased significantly for terms such as "monthly premium," "referral," "in-network provider," "deductible," and "HMO/PPO."

Conclusions: The study demonstrated that serious games are an effective tool for improving health insurance literacy among young adults. The interactive and engaging nature of the game enabled participants to better grasp complex health insurance concepts and terminology.

Keywords: health insurance, games, experimental, young adult, information literacy

Link to Full Text: Breaking Health Insurance Knowledge Barriers Through Games: Pilot Test of Health Care America

Acknowledgments: Funding for this study was provided by a research microgrant from the Dean of the Mayborn School of Journalism at the University of North Texas. Special thanks to the graduate and undergraduate research assistants who contributed to this project.