Factors influencing public opportunistic behavior in the medical insurance field: an empirical study from Northeast China

Objectives The purpose of this study is to investigate the factors influencing the occurrence of medical insurance opportunistic behavior among the public in Northeast China and its importance ranking. Methods Data are from a self-administered anonymous questionnaire survey of participants in Northeast China conducted from January to December 2019. Using a stratified sampling method, a sample of 895 residents aged 18 years or older was selected for the study and analysis. We used a stepwise logistic regression model to analyze the factors influencing the opportunistic behavior of the public within the medical insurance domain and standardized the coefficients of the independent variables in the model to further determine the degree of importance of the relevant influencing factors. Results Opportunistic behavior was found in 34.2% of the participants. The order of importance of the factors influencing participants’ opportunistic behavior were the frequency of occurrence of overmedication by medical practitioners, age, participants’ evaluation of the harm of opportunistic behavior in medical insurance, marital status, participants’ evaluation of the nature of opportunistic behavior in medical insurance, and participants’ evaluation of the prevalence of opportunistic behavior in medical insurance. Conclusion One-third of the participants in northeastern China engage in medical insurance opportunistic behavior. Among them, the frequency of occurrence of overmedication by medical practitioners is the most important factor influencing whether opportunistic behavior occurs.