Insured not immune
Even the insured can buckle under health care costs
Some make ends meet by forgoing treatment
By Julie Apple, USA TODAY, August 31, 2005
Medical progress has helped Americans live longer, but the exploding cost of those breakthroughs has polarized the nation: More than one in four Americans are faltering under the burden of health costs, while almost half — those lucky enough to be healthy or wealthy — are untouched.
The rest are a mix of those who say they worry about whether they will be able to pay routine medical bills in the future and those who have already started cutting corners — skipping treatments or not taking prescriptions — because of the costs.
Other findings from a nationwide survey of adults by USA TODAY, the Kaiser Family Foundation and Harvard School of Public Health show that medical inflation is creating financial problems even for those who most assume should be able to handle the costs — those with health insurance.
Sixty-two percent of those struggling to pay medical bills have health insurance, underscoring how increasing premiums, deductibles and gaps in coverage are affecting families.
Click here for the rest of the story>
Some make ends meet by forgoing treatment
By Julie Apple, USA TODAY, August 31, 2005
Medical progress has helped Americans live longer, but the exploding cost of those breakthroughs has polarized the nation: More than one in four Americans are faltering under the burden of health costs, while almost half — those lucky enough to be healthy or wealthy — are untouched.
The rest are a mix of those who say they worry about whether they will be able to pay routine medical bills in the future and those who have already started cutting corners — skipping treatments or not taking prescriptions — because of the costs.
Other findings from a nationwide survey of adults by USA TODAY, the Kaiser Family Foundation and Harvard School of Public Health show that medical inflation is creating financial problems even for those who most assume should be able to handle the costs — those with health insurance.
Sixty-two percent of those struggling to pay medical bills have health insurance, underscoring how increasing premiums, deductibles and gaps in coverage are affecting families.
Click here for the rest of the story>
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