Recession Causing Some Americans To Drop Insurance, Delay Care

Posted Fri, 2009/12/11 - 00:20 by Amer Kaissi

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The current economic recession has affected American households’ spending habits in various ways. A new study suggests that the recession “has pressured Americans to prioritize healthcare along other expenses and many have changed their behavior including dealing with illness without treatment and visiting the doctor less.”

The study (I reported on its other results in my previous post) is based on a phone survey of a representative sample of 1,008 Americans conducted last month. The majority of people in the study (84%) reported that they have currently have health insurance. Of those with insurance, 61% get their insurance from their employers (or spouses’ employers, 24% are covered by one of two government programs (Medicare/Medicaid), whereas 8% get their insurance through a secondary provider.

One of the positive findings of the survey was that 91% of insured people reported that they are currently satisfied with their healthcare coverage. However, when it comes to the effects of recession, the results are not that positive. First of all, 11% have been forced to drop their health insurance due to the recession, while 33% are concerned about losing their coverage.

Another major impact of the recession has been on decisions related to seeking healthcare. Nearly half of the respondents (48%) said that they try to “get over” being sick without seeking treatment to avoid medical expenses. Moreover, 38% are trying to visit the doctor less frequently while 24% are taking fewer sick days at work. Also, 27% are avoiding elective, unnecessary procedures to save money.

An interesting finding, that is probably a sign of our times, is that 24% of Americans said that if they were faced with a medical history that might limit their ability to access healthcare, they would or might withhold that information from their insurance provider in order to get coverage.

As more Americans lose their coverage and delay their care because of financial pressures, it seems like the vicious circle of the uninsured is becoming more common among insured people.

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