W hen was the last time you were able to call your primary care provider and get an appointment that day of within a couple days of your phone call? I would argue it was a long time ago. Access to care for both insured and uninsured patients has been a problem for some time now.
Access to care like many other components in our healthcare system continues to be plagued with problems. Access problems have significantly increased from 2003 to 2007 according to a report form the Center for Studying Health System Changes (HSC). Here are some highlights from their report:
- 1 in 5 Americans (59 million people) report not getting or delaying needed medical care in 2007, up from 1 in 7 (36 million people) in 2003.
- Insured patients experienced a greater increase (62%) in access problems than did the uninsured (33%).
- Unmet medical needs increased for low-income children.
- Access problems are being attributed to cost, rising health plan premiums, system barriers, rising out of pocket expenses, and higher deductibles.
- Other issues affecting access to care included declines in physician charity care, strained safety net capacity, and competitive pressures in the healthcare market.
Additional data shows that healthcare costs have risen more rapidly than incomes over the past ten years. Employment-based health insurance premiums have increased 114% from 1999 to 2007, where as income has only increased by 27%.
Not a lot of good news in our world these days. High fuel costs, home foreclosures, healthcare costs and others are making for some very difficult times. With continued fiscal strains it is likely that healthcare will continue to be a turbulent issue for many of us. Staying healthy is now even more important than ever before.
Industry leaders from all sides as well as legislators need to focus on access to care. Improving quality, mitigating preventable harm, and increasing provider collaboration is all well and good. If you end up having a great healthcare system that no one can access than what good is it?
Article inCenter for Health System Change
Access to care like many other components in our healthcare system continues to be plagued with problems. Access problems have significantly increased from 2003 to 2007 according to a report form the Center for Studying Health System Changes (HSC). Here are some highlights from their report:
- 1 in 5 Americans (59 million people) report not getting or delaying needed medical care in 2007, up from 1 in 7 (36 million people) in 2003.
- Insured patients experienced a greater increase (62%) in access problems than did the uninsured (33%).
- Unmet medical needs increased for low-income children.
- Access problems are being attributed to cost, rising health plan premiums, system barriers, rising out of pocket expenses, and higher deductibles.
- Other issues affecting access to care included declines in physician charity care, strained safety net capacity, and competitive pressures in the healthcare market.
Additional data shows that healthcare costs have risen more rapidly than incomes over the past ten years. Employment-based health insurance premiums have increased 114% from 1999 to 2007, where as income has only increased by 27%.Not a lot of good news in our world these days. High fuel costs, home foreclosures, healthcare costs and others are making for some very difficult times. With continued fiscal strains it is likely that healthcare will continue to be a turbulent issue for many of us. Staying healthy is now even more important than ever before.
Industry leaders from all sides as well as legislators need to focus on access to care. Improving quality, mitigating preventable harm, and increasing provider collaboration is all well and good. If you end up having a great healthcare system that no one can access than what good is it?
Article inCenter for Health System Change