Posted on 03/25/2002 9:50:01 AM PST by joebellis
One in Seven Americans Say They Can't Get Needed Healthcare
WASHINGTON (Reuters Health) Mar 21 - More than 41 million Americans -- one in seven -- had trouble getting medical care or had to delay care in 2001, mostly because of cost, according to study results released on Thursday.
The Washington, DC-based nonprofit Center for Studying Health System Change surveyed a representative 60,000 Americans by telephone about access to healthcare in each of the last several years. Results were extrapolated to the US population. The survey began in late 1996, as the economy began a record surge, with low unemployment and declining uninsured.
Even so, the Center found that more people, whether they had insurance or not, said in 2001 that they could not get care at all, or when they needed it, compared with 1997. In 1997, 5.2% said that they had gone without needed care in the past year; by 2001, it was 5.8%. That means 16 million people were unable to get care when needed, said the Center.
The number of those who delayed care, another 26 million, stayed steady over each of the survey years.
"This is a surprising and somewhat ominous result given the context of the times," said Paul Ginsburg, an economist and president of the Center, noting that he would have expected to see an improvement in access and fewer delays during the economic boom. And now, with the recession, "there's real concern that we could have some significant declines in access," he told Reuters Health.
Getting care was most difficult for the uninsured, or those with low incomes or in poor health. In 2001, the uninsured were three times as likely to not get care. Slightly more than 15% of the uninsured delayed care, compared with 8.6% of the insured.
More than a quarter of those who were uninsured and in poor health said that they could not get needed care.
Of those who could not get care or delayed it, 62% cited cost as the reason. It was the dominant worry for 90% or more of the uninsured and for half of those with insurance. They did not elaborate on what those costs were. One potential explanation: Employers began asking workers to share more of their premiums, said Susan Pisano, a spokeswoman for the American Association of Health Plans.
Of the remainder, 13.2% said that they could not get care or delayed it because their plan would not pay for a service. It is not clear whether that was perception or reality, said Ginsburg. Pisano said that some employers were offering less comprehensive benefits than in the past, so fewer services were covered.
Another 13% said that a doctor or hospital would not accept their insurance. Again, said Ginsburg, there is no clear explanation.
Some providers are contracting with fewer insurers, and others are too overwhelmed to take new patients. Changes in employer-sponsored plans also mean that a favorite doctor or hospital could be dropped from the patient's network, explained Pisano.
A whopping 32.6% said that they could not get an appointment soon enough in 2001 compared with 22.9% in 1997. Ginsburg called that a "shocking" increase, noting that it provides "evidence that there is an imbalance between demand and supply of physician services."
Both Pisano and Ginsburg said that the appointment logjam might be because people have more direct access to specialists now, flooding those practices.
In a bright spot, children's access increased over the survey period, possibly due to extended coverage offered by the State Children's Health Insurance Program, created in 1997.
The big picture, said Pisano, is that "very clearly, access and affordability are the number one issues right now." Those issues "demand a response from policymakers," she said.
I bet we can come up with some questions that should have been asked of the "1 in 7 Americans that can't afford health care":
2. Did you make all of the payments on your new car last year?
3. How much did you win at the casinos last year?
I'll bet that a significant number of people spend more on the lottery than on medical expenses (their portion of the healthcare premium and any out-of-pocket expenses).
(2) One in seven called over the phone. So..... depending on the area called, one in seven could be illegal aliens , or welfare parent(s), or drug-addicts.
(3) There are lies, damn lies, and stat...uhhhhh.. phone surveys !
I wonder how many Brits and Canadians who suffer under their Nanny Health Care complain about the fact that they don't get much health care even when needed?
It also would be interesting to see this same survey run in countries with national healthcare plans. I'm sure Canadians and the Brits would respond in large numbers that they were being denied even life saving care by their socialized medicine systems.
Not necessarily true. I know a friend of mine who was paying $754 a month for individual health insurance as he was self employed. When his business took a dive after 9/11, he had to chose between paying his mortgage, the IRS, or his health insurance. He gave it up and now he cant get health insurance at any price. If you dont work for big company, the government, or are in your twenties, its not as easy as you think.
True he will get emergency care and he can afford normal doctor visits and perhaps some tests. However, if he gets a major illness like cancer, he's screwed.
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