Dollars continue to drive access to care in US
When it comes to health care, your insurance matters.
People who called up clinics seeking follow-up care were more likely to receive a timely appointment if they said they had private medical insurance than if they said that they were on Medicare or were uninsured and would not immediately pay in full. This shows that the ability to pay is very important in obtaining access to health care. In fact, “98 percent of clinics [in the study] screened callers for a source of payment but only 28 percent attempted to determine the severity of the callers medical condition”.
But even having private insurance is no guarantee that a person will get a timely appointment. “[O]ver one third of callers claiming to have private insurance could not get a follow up appointment within a week”. This may indicate that there is not enough capacity to meet the demand for medical care.
People who called up clinics seeking follow-up care were more likely to receive a timely appointment if they said they had private medical insurance than if they said that they were on Medicare or were uninsured and would not immediately pay in full. This shows that the ability to pay is very important in obtaining access to health care. In fact, “98 percent of clinics [in the study] screened callers for a source of payment but only 28 percent attempted to determine the severity of the callers medical condition”.
But even having private insurance is no guarantee that a person will get a timely appointment. “[O]ver one third of callers claiming to have private insurance could not get a follow up appointment within a week”. This may indicate that there is not enough capacity to meet the demand for medical care.
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