Americans Skipping Doctor Visits to Save Money
The San Francisco Chronicle presents the results of a study saying 22% of Americans who were surveyed, said they were avoiding doctor visits to save money in tough economic times. But will this decision cost them their health?
As the article states:
Officials who regulate state insurance practices said they’re concerned that as times get tougher, an increasing number of insured will forgo necessary care and possibly incur greater costs down the road due to delays in treatment.
-22% of Americans surveyed cut visits to doctor, by Victoria Colliver
Are you avoiding or delaying a visit to the doctor because you’re unsure whether your plan will cover it or whether it will incur further costly expense? This may be prudent, but you can also arm yourself with more information about your health care plan and your options for staying out of debt from doctors’ visits. See our FREE Guides to Managing Medical Bills which contain valuable advice like:
- what your individual health insurance, medicare or medicaid probably covers,
- how to compare plans or figure out what your plan is supposed to cover,
- how to negotiate with your doctor’s office on steep medical bills,
- Lots of other great advice!
August 19th, 2008 at 2:58 pm
Unfortuntely in the US, insurance (especially health & life) is considered a luxury and many young people and working middle class with a choice of where to spend there money are opting for toys and entertainment rather than planning ahead. Hopefully that will change in the future. Great post and resource links though!
den