Vol. 74/No. 34 September 6, 2010
Visits to doctors have declined every month this year and were down 7.6 percent in May from May 2009. Admissions to hospitals fell in three of the first four months of this year compared to the same period in 2009.
As more people lose their jobs and health insurance, and as insurance companies demand higher co-payments and deductibles, workers are often forced to choose between basic necessities and medical care.
Many who do have insurance are buying high-deductible plans to get lower premiums. Under these plans individuals have to put out thousands of dollars a year before insurance coverage kicks in.
A Brown University study, published in the New England Journal of Medicine, details how patients with higher co-pays cut back on doctor visits. Elderly workers and people with hypertension and diabetes who cut back often end up requiring hospital care.
Bills for diabetes patients who have no health insurance can run from $350 to $900 a month. According to the Associated Press, doctors have seen a decline in regular appointments with diabetic patients.
Those who have diabetes and dont closely monitor their blood sugar levels and take their medicine risk amputations, loss of vision, strokes, and death.
Nationwide there is a trend of workers stopping medication or reducing it because of lack of funds. Three California cancer patients, for example, suffered relapses when they could not afford to buy their medication.
To avoid doctor visits and prescription costs, an increasing number of workers are turning to over-the-counter medications, alternative medical treatments, and home remedies.
This could go beyond the recession, Paul Ginsburg of the Center for Studying Health System Change told the Wall Street Journal. Being a less aggressive consumer of health care is here to stay.
While 2.7 million people lost their private health insurance in 2009, U.S. health insurance companies posted profits 56 percent higher than in 2008.
Five of the seven largest health plans reported increased profits in the second quarter this year compared to the same period last year. The biggest gain was by Aetna48 percent.
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