Despite having insurance, the costs are too high
People wait to enter a remote mobile clinic for free health services in Grundy, Virginia last year. A recent survey shows that many Americans are skipping health care due to the cost.
This article is reprinted by permission from NextAvenue.org.
Between a third and a half of people age 45 to 59 and a quarter of those 60+ went without needed health care in the past year due to its cost, according to a troubling new survey from the West Health Institute and NORC at the University of Chicago.
“We were surprised by the magnitude of the findings,” said Dr. Zia Agha, chief medical officer at the West Health Institute, a nonprofit applied medical research organization based in San Diego. “And 80% of the people we surveyed had health insurance, so just having insurance does not make you immune to health care costs.”
The researchers at West Health Institute and NORC at the University of Chicago (a nonpartisan research institution) interviewed 1,302 adults. Their findings were released at the American Society on Aging’s 2018 Aging in America conference in San Francisco. Age 45 to 59 skipping health care
Specifically, the survey found these results for people age 45 to 59 (members of Generation X and boomers) as a result of health care costs:
49% didn’t go to the doctor last year when they were sick or injured 45% skipped a recommended medical test or treatment 43% didn’t go to a dentist when they needed treatment 40% went without a routine physical or other preventive health care 30% didn’t fill a prescription or took less than the prescribed dose of medicine
Age 60+ skipping health care
The percentages were less dramatic for people 60 + (boomers aged 60 to 72 and Americans older than 72) — perhaps partly because those 65 and older have Medicare. But they are still concerning:
30% didn’t go to a dentist last year when they needed treatment 27% went without a routine physical or other preventive health care 25% didn’t fill a prescription or took less than the prescribed dose of medicine 25% skipped a recommended medical test or treatment 24% didn’t go to the doctor when they were sick or injured
Younger Americans were even more likely to go without health care due to costs last year, the survey found.
“The younger generations have lower savings, are less financially stable and are more likely to be not insured or underinsured,” said Agha. “As you get older, you understand the importance of health care more and you’re more likely to seek care.”
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