Many Put Off Health Care

By The Tampa Tribune
Published: February 27, 2009

One in four Americans said in a survey that someone in the family put off needed health care in the past year because of cost.

In all, 53 percent of Americans in the Kaiser Family Foundation poll released Wednesday said they or a family member living with them cut back on health care in one or more ways to save money in the past 12 months.

Most commonly, they relied on home remedies or over-the-counter drugs instead of seeing a doctor, or they skipped a visit to the dentist - about a third of respondents reported doing each. Nearly one in four postponed a recommended medical test or treatment. Nearly as many didn't fill a prescription.

The survey interviewed 1,204 adults by phone from Feb. 3-12. The sampling error was plus or minus 3 percentage points.

Among the 27 percent in the survey who said their household postponed needed medical care:

•16 percent: Postponed surgery or a doctor's visit for chronic illness.

•10 percent: Delayed seeing a doctor for a chronic illness such as diabetes or asthma.

•6 percent: Postponed minor surgery in the doctor's office.

•5 percent: Delayed major surgery requiring an overnight hospital stay.

The Associated Press