ATTENTION TEAMSTERS: Studies Link High-Deductible Health Care Plans to Delayed Diagnosis and Treatment

According to a recent NPR report:

“A study published last month in Health Affairs examined claims data from a large national insurer… women with low incomes who had high-deductible insurance plans waited an average of 1.6 months longer for diagnostic breast imaging, 2.7 months for first biopsy, 6.6 months for first early-stage breast cancer diagnosis and 8.7 months for first chemotherapy, compared with low-income women with low-deductible plans.  In some cases, delays of that length might lead to poorer health outcomes…

‘We’re seeing that high-deductible plans are really the epitome of the access-to-care problem,” [Dr. Veena Shankaran, co-director of the Hutchinson Institute for Cancer Outcomes Research at Seattle’s Fred Hutchinson Cancer Research Center] says.  ‘People don’t have the liquid cash to meet their deductible, so you see delays in care or even avoiding treatment altogether…’

Congress is very focused on lowering prescription drug prices.  That’s a good goal, but it’s meaningless in an environment where patients still can’t access care or medications because of their deductibles.”

Read NPR’s full report on the issue by clicking here.

Category: Current Events