Patients Cut Back on Prescriptions, Doctor Visits Amid Tough Times
The health sector tends to be pretty resilient during economic downturns, because even in tight times, people generally make medical care a priority.
But this year things aren’t quite hewing to past form. A number of indicators show that patients, pressed by a combination of economic woes and shrinking health benefits, have been cutting back on care...
“Since I don’t work out of the home, it’s not that crucial” to have the cataract fixed, she reasons. “And I can drive with one eye.”
That's the American spirit! Our Noble Plutocrats are having to retire to eight-figure severance packages in total disgrace. In the big scheme of things, your ability to see isn't that important.
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From the article the blog post links to:
"Since sales at the Sebring, Fla.-area car dealership where Christopher Pye works have dwindled, so have the commissions that were 40% of his income in good times. Barely able to afford his $850 monthly mortgage and pay for groceries, he says something had to give: his two young sons' annual medical checkups.
"It's just a little too expensive right now," says Mr. Pye, 32 years old, who says he can't afford to have his family on the company health plan or to pay up front for the visits. This month, Mr. Pye is canceling his own insurance, hoping the $56 he'll save in weekly premiums will pay for the exams of his boys, ages 3 and 4, later."
From the comments at the end of the blog post:
"Cigarettes, Alcohol, Cable TV — hopefully most are choosing to cut on these items prior to further compromising their health or that of their family members."
Article: "Ms. Falacienski, 33, has been putting off a pricey blood test to monitor her Crohn's-related anemia, which if it worsens, can indicate bleeding in the intestines. She says she already owes more than $3,000 for a blood transfusion she needed in January -- the result, she says, of skipping the tests last year and thus failing to spot her worsening blood count in time."
Comments: "Who says Rx filling going down is a “bad thing” and somehow is indicative of a bad health policy? Maybe some people are clueing in that we don’t want to be like the last generation and take 10-12 pills a day as we didn’t take control of our health when we were younger. Maybe we are spending more time PREVENTING illness than managing the decline with Rxs."
Article: "It's hard to get people to follow up when they're having to decide between the gas bill, the electric bill or deciding to come in and see the doctor," Dr. King says.
Comments: "I believe people are more informed of side affects from pharmaceuticals and are taking the more natural road."
Article: "Gabrielle Kenna, 33, who suffers from debilitating rheumatoid arthritis, says she occasionally skips her weekly dose of methotrexate. The pills help with pain and inflammation, and require a $10 monthly co-pay. But Ms. Kenna says she has to balance that with the price of her main medication, a specialty drug called Remicade that costs her nearly $180 every six weeks. "When I'm not feeling so bad, I'll try to stretch [the methotrexate] out or wait until I have the money," she says."
Comments: "This could be a good trend. People can take responsibility on for themselves vs. running to the ER for the sniffles! Before we give up our health freedoms to the government, it would be of benfit to look at the roots of excessive costs."
Article: "To make do, Mrs. Stroup says she's been skipping her asthma medication Advair, sometimes a week at a time, and switched to a cheaper but less effective pill for her acid reflux. "I don't always want to tell people I don't have the money for it," she says, "so I might wait a week or so to go to the drugstore to pick it up."
Comments: "I’d sure like to see a similar chart showing ER visits for non-acute issues..."
You can't put anything past Pluto. He sees right through all the whining.
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