An interesting article in The Washington Post on 3-25-08 highlighted the trial of insured Americans to obtain and utilize medical care. The survey was sponsored by The ALF-CIO and relied on 26,000 union members in the survey.
The article states, ‘Among the uninsured, 76 percent said that someone in their family didn’t see a doctor during the past year when they were sick because of cost. And 57 percent of the uninsured said they had to choose between paying medical costs or their rent, mortgage or utilities.’ For many of us, this finding is not new but rather the reality of every day.
And yet the insurance industry fights back in an effort to preserve their role. ‘One critic of the survey, Mike Tuffin, executive vice president of America’s Health Insurance Plans, a health insurance company lobbying group, said the findings were at odds with other research that showed private health insurance is affordable and provides good access to care.
“There is a lot of data that suggests that those who do have private health-care coverage are very satisfied,” said Tuffin. One survey found that “87 percent of respondents with private insurance said their health-care coverage gives access to good medical care at an affordable cost,” he said. ‘
In talking to my patients, I’ve yet to find one who’s satisfied with their health care coverage. Oy!
Jeff
Jeffrey A. Oster, DPM
Medical Director
HowMuchDoc.com
