Healthcare Costs Keeps People From Doctor Visits
According to a survey by the Kaiser Family Foundation, one in four Americans said that someone in the family put off needed health care in the past year because of cost, including 16 percent who postponed surgery or a doctor’s visit for chronic illness.
The foundation said on Wednesday that 53 percent of Americans say they, or a family member living with them, cut back on health care in one or more ways to save money in the past 12 months.
About a third of the polled participants said they relied most commonly on home remedies, or over-the-counter drugs, instead of seeing a doctor or dentists. Close to one in four postponed a recommended medical test or treatment. Also, just as many said they did not fill a prescription, while 15 percent cut pills in half or skipped doses of medicine.
There were 27 percent of the participants overall who said that their household postponed needed medical care. This figure includes 16 percent who put off dealing with at least one serious problem, 10 percent delaying to see a doctor for a chronic illness like diabetes or asthma, 6 percent that postponed minor surgery in the doctor’s office and 5 percent that delayed major surgery requiring an overnight hospital stay. Also, 19 percent said they skipped a doctor’s visit for temporary illness or preventive care.
The Kaiser Family Foundation found consistently high support for that action despite the country’s economic woes, as President Barack Obama vows to reform the health care system. Of the surveyed, 62 percent said "it’s more important now than ever to take on health care reform" while 34 percent said we cannot currently afford it. The support was very similar to the Kaiser surveys that were taken in October and December of 2008.
Fifty-nine percent of Americans believe the country would be better off if the president and Congress reform health care, according to Kaiser. However, only 38 percent say their own families would be better off, with 43 percent saying that it would not make much of a difference. Republicans were more skeptical than Democrats and Independents on both counts.
There were 1,204 adults interviewed for the survey by landlines and cell phones from Feb. 3-12. The sampling error was a plus or minus 3 percentage points.
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