Study Finds Uninsured With Chronic Conditions Receive Less Care Than Those With Insurance
Uninsured Americans of all ages who suffer from heart disease, hypertension, high cholesterol, arthritis and chronic back pain are less likely to receive adequate care and to be able to afford treatment than their insured counterparts, according to a new study from Families USA. In collaboration with international health consulting firm The Lewin Group, Families USA analyzed HHS data on the above conditions, which are "five of the most common chronic health problems" in the United States. As compared to those with insurance, uninsured patients:
- across all five conditions "receive[d] half the number of lab tests, [were] much more likely to go without medicines essential to maintaining health, [and] obtain far fewer screenings for high blood pressure or cholesterol" than the insured
- with arthritis patients were "more than five times as likely to receive no prescriptions of any kind."
- diagnosed with high blood pressure "were more than twice as likely to have had no blood pressure check" in the past year.
- Uninsured patients with hypertension or arthritis were more than three times as likely to "lack a usual source of care"(Families USA release, 3/7).
