High-deductible insurance plans are causing many patients to delay or avoid necessary treatment, including ambulatory and preventive care, according to a new study.
For the study, researchers at the Robert Graham Center for Policy Studies in Family Medicine and Primary Care used data from the National Health Interview Survey to examine out-of-pocket expenses, medical debt and avoidance or delay of care, based on number of chronic conditions, among privately insured adults who have high deductibles. A total of 105,779 individuals were in the study sample.
Researchers found out-of-pocket expenses and medical debt increased with the number of chronic conditions. According to the study, 56 percent of people with three or more chronic conditions had annual out-of-pocket expenses of $2,000 or more, compared to 34 percent of people without chronic conditions. Also, 52 percent of people with three or more chronic conditions had medical debt, compared to 28 percent of people without chronic conditions.
According to the study, people with three or more chronic conditions were also nearly three times as likely to delay or avoid care as those without chronic conditions (25 percent compared to 9 percent). "Delay or avoidance of necessary care risks earlier development of chronic disease complications or preventable disease," the researchers noted.
The researchers encouraged policy makers to focus on mitigating the health and economic consequences of financial barriers to ambulatory and preventive care associated with high-deductible insurance plans.