COVID-19: Cost of care deters 1 in 7 people from seeking treatment
09 May, 2020
Research shows that around 14% of people in the usa would avoid seeking treatment if indeed they experienced the key symptoms of COVID-19.
New research conducted by the analytics firm Gallup and the nonprofit organization West Health has found 1 in 7 persons in the U.S. would avoid seeking treatment for the main element symptoms of COVID-19 as a result of concerns over cost.
The analysis shines a light on the U.S. healthcare system and the barriers it places on people with low incomes from accessing healthcare.
U.S. healthcare
In the U.S., healthcare is normally not paid for by the state but by the individual, typically through medical insurance that many persons access as a benefit for employment.
However, those out of work or focusing on precarious contracts may not have access to medical health insurance. This makes them vulnerable to significant charges if indeed they do require healthcare.
In the context of the COVID-19 pandemic, this example has become even starker.
According to the research, while insurance companies have decided to waive any additional payments related to COVID-19 testing, people could still conclude with out-of-pocket expenses.
Cost one factor in seeking treatment
Gallup conducted a representative poll of just one 1,017 adults, asking them two questions. The first question was, “[i]f you or a family member had a fever and a dry cough, would you avoid seeking treatment because of concerns about the cost of care?”
The next question was “[i]f you thought that you might have been infected by the coronavirus, would you avoid seeking treatment because of concerns about the price of care?”
Gallup found that 1 in 7 people - 14% of those polled - would avoid seeking treatment if indeed they experienced a dry cough and fever.
When the question changed to ask the respondents directly about suspected COVID-19, Gallup discovered that 9% of individuals would still avoid seeking healthcare because of concerns over cost.
The researchers feel that uncertainty surrounding the key symptoms of COVID-19 could account for the difference between the two questions. This is evident particularly in the 18-29 year age group where 22% would avoid care because of costs for the two key symptoms, but only 12% would avoid care when coronavirus was especially mentioned.
Unsurprisingly, for both questions, a person’s income was an integral factor in if they would avoid seeking treatment because of worries about cost.
While only 5% of folks whose gross annual household income was over $100,000 would avoid seeking medical care if indeed they had a dry cough or fever, this figure jumped to 22% for folks whose gross annual household income was below $40,000.
Likewise, for many who suspected that they had COVID-19 and had an gross annual household income of $100,000 or even more, only 3% would avoid seeking treatment because of cost. The figure for all those whose household income was under $40,000 was 14%.
According to Tim Lash, chief strategy officer for West Health, “[m]illions of Americans, even in the face of a disease which has brought a country to its knees, would forgo care as a result of potential expense but still others might not be clear on the common symptoms of COVID-19.
“While physicians and healthcare employees are doing courageous and lifesaving work, the pandemic magnifies the longstanding perils and flaws of a high cost healthcare system looking for reform.”
While the poll makes clear that income affects the extent to which someone will probably seek treatment, current U.S. government advice regarding COVID-19 may have affected the results of the poll.
In line with the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), if one has a fever, dry cough, or other symptoms of COVID-19, then your official advice is to stay at home and self-care. Only when their symptoms get more extreme should a person seek treatment.
The CDC also have clarified that all those with symptoms of COVID-19 are a priority for testing. In addition they express concern that if persons are avoiding testing for concern with healthcare costs, it might affect the future monitoring of how the virus spreads when the federal government relaxes lockdown measures.
It can be that the respondents of the poll, knowing the official advice, wouldn't normally seek treatment whatever their income.
Nonetheless, some persons who taken care of immediately the poll were clearly worried about costs. The results showed a clear correlation between these concerned persons and relative gross annual household income.
Access to care
The research also polled people on usage of care, asking the respondents whether “[…] you or a member of family been denied care by a hospital or a doctor because of heavy patient volume due to the coronavirus outbreak?”
Here, the researchers discovered that 6% of respondents have been denied access to care. However, again, the responses varied by total annual household income: while only 3% of these whose gross annual household income was over $100,000 have been denied care, this figure rose to 11% for all those whose gross annual household income was below $40,000.
According to Dan Witters, Gallup senior researcher, “[t]hese new findings align with previous research by West Health and Gallup on the impact of high healthcare costs in the U.S.
“This past year, over 13% of respondents, representing more than 30 million adults, reported having a friend or family member who died in the last 5 years after not being able to afford necessary care.
“Increase that the challenges connected with COVID-19, and Americans end up in a quagmire as many of these turn to a system they can’t afford or that can’t accommodate them.”
Source: www.medicalnewstoday.com
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