Medical choices

From a NY Times editorial:

A new national survey found that an alarming 20 percent of the population, some 59 million people in all, either delayed or did without needed medical care last year, a huge increase from the 36 million people who delayed or did not seek care in 2003...

According to the survey, the main reason is soaring medical costs, which have outstripped the modest growth in wages in recent years. High costs are deterring not only the uninsured from seeking care, but also many insured people who are struggling with higher deductibles, co-payments and other out-of-pocket expenses as their employers or health plans shift more of the cost burden to them.

Many patients with insurance said they went without care because their health plans would not pay for the treatment or their doctors or hospitals would not accept their insurance. Both insured and uninsured patients said they skipped treatments because they had trouble getting timely appointments, were unable to get through on the telephone, or could not make it to a doctor’s office or clinic when it was open. No doubt a weakening economy, high fuel prices, the home foreclosure crisis and general economic anxiety also played a role.

This was used as evidence in the case for universal medical care. First, I find it surprising (not really, I suppose) that they are so concerned that the high price has discouraged people from getting additional medical care. High prices discourage people from doing all kinds of things; many people eat less food, drive less-safe cars, and live in smaller or less-clean houses than they otherwise would. We can't all afford every treatment, every surgery, or every drug, just like we can't all afford every steak, every car, or every house. The medical care we have is a modern technological advance that costs money.

The second thing I think is funny that the "alarming" number they report of people who put off health care includes things like scheduling appointments and telephone frustrations. Considering how prompt we hear our Canadien and British friends receive care, I don't expect this to get better. And of course the economy had something to do with it.