TRUST ON HEALTH INSURANCE PROVIDERS: SCALE VALIDATION AND DETERMINING FACTORS IN INDIAN CONTEXT

P.  Shobanapriya; P. Easwaran

doi:10.29121/shodhkosh.v7.i5s.2025.7699

Authors

P. Shobanapriya Research Scholar, Karpagam Academy of Higher Education, Coimbatore, Tamil Nadu, India
Dr. P. Easwaran Associate Professor, Department of Commerce, Karpagam Academy of Higher Education, Coimbatore, Tamil Nadu, India

DOI:

https://doi.org/10.29121/shodhkosh.v7.i5s.2025.7699

Keywords:

Trust, Health Insurance, Scale Validation, Determining Factors, India

Abstract [English]

The insurance is the risk-transfer mechanism. Health insurance is high significant as it enables policyholders to manage medical emergencies, funding and safety of life through covers. The trust and transparency have become pivotal from sustainability perspective. As a result, a method to assess trust in health insurers is paramount both in management and as a research tool inorder to enhance the institutes’ efficiency and maximise benefits for the policy holders. This survey aimed at validating the Scale to Measure Patients' Trust in Health Insurers by Beiyao Zheng et al., 2002, in the Indian context. The 11-item five-dimensional scale was validated among 180 policy holders in the city of Coimbatore, Tamil Nadu. The Likert format allows five responses per item and holds a reliability score of Cronbach’s alpha 0.92/0.89. The scale was slightly modified, and rigorous statistical validation procedures were applied in the form Bartlett’s test of sphericity, Kaiser-Meyer-Olkin, Confirmatory Factor Analysis and Fitness indices estimates. The finalised scale holds 9-items across three-dimensions with a Cronbach’s alpha of 0.964 and allows the users to measure trust on health insurance providers in Indian context. The demographic variables that influence the trust are also detailed.

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