Access to healthcare improved somewhat for insured Americans between 2007 and 2010, but cost is still a concern and an obstacle, according to a recent study reported in FOX Business.
According to the study from the Center of Studying Health System Change, approximately 17 percent of U.S. residents in 2010 reported not getting or delaying needed medical care in the previous 12 months. These numbers are down from 20 percent in 2007, according to the report. The study, funded by the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation, was based on interviews with 17,000 people.
The uninsured, whose numbers climbed between 2007 and 2010, still face obstacles in obtaining healthcare. Around nine million fewer people had health insurance in 2010 than in 2007, and the study found the recession forced Americans to cut back on healthcare to save money.
While overall access problems improved, the gap between insured and uninsured people widened in 2010. The most severely affected were lower-income people and those with significant health problems: In 2010, people with incomes below 200 percent of poverty were more than three times as likely to report an unmet need as those with incomes at or above 400 percent of poverty.
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According to the study from the Center of Studying Health System Change, approximately 17 percent of U.S. residents in 2010 reported not getting or delaying needed medical care in the previous 12 months. These numbers are down from 20 percent in 2007, according to the report. The study, funded by the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation, was based on interviews with 17,000 people.
The uninsured, whose numbers climbed between 2007 and 2010, still face obstacles in obtaining healthcare. Around nine million fewer people had health insurance in 2010 than in 2007, and the study found the recession forced Americans to cut back on healthcare to save money.
While overall access problems improved, the gap between insured and uninsured people widened in 2010. The most severely affected were lower-income people and those with significant health problems: In 2010, people with incomes below 200 percent of poverty were more than three times as likely to report an unmet need as those with incomes at or above 400 percent of poverty.
Related Articles on Coding, Billing and Collections:
Colorado Attorney General Will Assist With Health Insurance Exchange While Battling Federal Reform Law
Rhode Island Governor Issues Executive Order to Create Health Insurance Exchange
New Jersey Rule Would Set Price Limit on Hospital Charges for 2,000 Outpatient Procedures