Fewer Adults Obtaining Medical Care Due to Rising Health Costs
A study released by the Commonwealth Fund has revealed many working-age Americans are not only going without health insurance, but also failing to seek care for injuries or illness because they can’t afford it. The report found a larger number of people are skipping doctor’s office visits, medical tests and prescriptions as health costs continue to increase.
Adults Dropping Coverage Due to High Costs
The survey found that a high number of respondents are going without medical care because they lack health coverage due to job loss after the economic recession. Having no coverage through an employer to rely on, many have tried to pay for coverage on their own but simply cannot afford it.
More than 70 percent of an estimated 26 million adults who have attempted to purchase insurance in the individual market over the past three years reported difficulties in finding a plan that was both affordable and met their needs.
Another nine million were turned down, charged a higher price for coverage, or had a condition that was excluded from coverage because of a pre-existing condition.
An estimated 43 million working-age adults reported that in the last two years, either they or their spouses had lost their jobs. Of that group, 57 percent went on to become uninsured because they couldn’t continue with COBRA or go on their spouses’ coverage.
Lack of Coverage Increases Risk of Death
A 2009 study conducted by the Cambridge Health Alliance and published in the Journal of Public Health found that the risk of death increases by 40 percent for those who are uninsured.
It found a lack of health insurance was a factor in the death of as many as 45,000 people in 2005 because they failed to obtain the preventative or follow-up care needed to avoid or reverse issues associated with their illnesses or injuries.
To avoid health issues due to a lack of coverage, it’s good to explore low-income health insurance resources that could give you access to affordable or free health care options.
The health reform law has promised to provide more Americans with affordable coverage through more lenient Medicaid qualifications, subsidies and other benefits by 2014. However, with lawmakers pushing for changes to the law, it’s difficult to know what its eventual outcome will be.
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