A recent study found that between 2001 and 2007, the amount of people who said high costs stopped them from getting needed medical care grew from 29 percent to 45 percent. The recent financial crisis is compounding the health problem. Because the United States healthcare system is largely employer-based, working people who lose their jobs also lose access to affordable medical care, creating a double burden of lost income and deteriorating health.
The University of Michigan’s School of Public Health estimates that since January 1st, medical visits are down 10 to 15 percent and that one in nine people are cutting pills, taking them less often than prescribed or doing something the doctor did not recommend. Fear of not being able to pay medical bills is also growing. A recent poll by the Deloite Center, a nonpartisan research group, found 80 percent of Americans are afraid the recession will lead to their not being able to pay their medical bill. People who said they had postponed or skipped a medical procedure, 27 percent said it was because they could not afford to pay for the medical procedure.
For people with medical insurance, visiting a primary care doctor for preventative care usually necessitates a co-payment of about $20 or so. But the uninsured have to pay the full cost up-front for their medical visit. The uninsured frequently wait until they are so ill they need to go to hospital emergency rooms for treatment. Research has found a correlation between the strength of the economy and human health. In recessions you often see an increase in mortality from heart disease, cancer, psychiatric illnesses and other conditions as a result of lack of medical care.
