(Circulation. 2000;102:e9038.)
© 2000 American Heart Association, Inc.
Cardiovascular News |
Cardiovascular News
Study Challenges Notion that Uninsured Are Covered by Safety Net
Many members of the uninsured in the US population go without proper medical attention—failed by a safety net that has been touted as serving their needs, said Harvard Medical School researchers in a study published in the October 25, 2000, issue of JAMA (2000;284:2061–2069).
"Many uninsured adults are going without proper medical attention," said the study’s lead author, John Ayanian, MD, MPP, associate professor of medicine and healthcare policy at Harvard Medical School and Brigham and Women’s Hospital. "Thirty-two percent of women without health insurance for more than a year report not getting a mammogram in the past 2 years. Twenty-six percent of the long-term uninsured with hypertension or diabetes said they haven’t had a check-up with a doctor in 2 years. From a public health perspective, these numbers are very concerning."
The Harvard group found that 14% of 220 000 adults aged 18 through 64 years who were surveyed between 1997 and 1998 reported lacking health insurance, and almost 10% reported being without health insurance for at least a year. The survey was structured to approximate the demographics of the 163 million US adults living in households with telephones. The survey was part of the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention’s Behavioral Risk Factor Surveillance System.
Nearly two-fifths of the adults in the long-term uninsured
group and one-third of those in the short-term uninsured group reported
not being able to see a physician during the past year because of cost.
Cost barriers were highest for those in poor health;