Patient Responsibility News

Healthcare Affordability Woes Affect High- and Low-Income Patients Alike

November 20, 2023 - It’s long been understood that healthcare in the United States is unaffordable for the nation’s poorest patients, but a new analysis from the Commonwealth Fund shows that healthcare affordability is a big problem for high-income people in the US, too. The report, based on findings from the Commonwealth Fund’s 2023 International...


Articles

Breaking Down the Basics of Healthcare Consumerism

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Healthcare consumerism lingers near the top of the list of buzzwords medical professionals need to know. The concept, which recognizes the role patients play as purchasers and managers of their own...

High Healthcare Costs Bar Care Access Despite Insurance Status

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Having health insurance coverage isn’t enough to attenuate high healthcare costs and their impacts on patient access to care, according to a new Commonwealth Fund report. Anywhere from 43 to 57...

Out-of-Pocket Healthcare Costs Double with Dementia Diagnosis

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A dementia diagnosis is going to cost you, with new data from the University of Michigan showing that individual personal wealth dropped after a diagnosis while out-of-pocket healthcare costs nearly...

Consumers Feel the Pinch of Medical Debt, Skip Healthcare Access

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The problem of medical debt is getting worse, with new Debt.com data showing that inflation and rising medical costs are putting patients in a sticky financial situation and leaving about a third...

Over A Quarter of Americans Say High Costs Bar Patient Care Access

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A new report from the Federal Reserve paints a devastating picture of how healthcare costs impact patient care access. In 2022, 28 percent of adults went without some kind of medical care because of...

Cost a Barrier to Medication Adherence, But Price Estimates May Help

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One in five patients experience some cost-related barrier to medication adherence, a new JAMA Network Open report showed, meaning their drugs are too expensive for them to take as...

Does Cost-Sharing for Screening Result in Missed Cancer Diagnoses?

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Patients who face cost-sharing and high out-of-pocket healthcare costs for breast cancer screening might not access any applicable follow-up tests they need, according to research published in JAMA...

Challenging Patient Financial Responsibility Uncommon, But Fruitful

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Most patients don’t challenge their medical bills, but new survey data from YouGov conducted on behalf of AKASA shows that negotiating patient financial responsibility could be a fruitful...

Why Shared Decision-Making Tools Should Include Price Transparency

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Shared decision-making tools that also integrate information about healthcare costs both help support patient empowerment and help patients manage their medical expenses, according to a new FAIR Health...

45% of Women Forego Preventive Care Access, Care Costs a Key Barrier

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High healthcare costs are keeping nearly half of American women from preventive care access, according to a new Ipsos poll fielded on behalf of the Alliance for Women’s Health and Prevention...

$35 Cap on Insulin Could Boost Medication Adherence, Satisfaction

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The Inflation Reduction Act’s $35 cap on insulin cost-sharing is poised to improve patient satisfaction, medication adherence, and prescription affordability, according to a research note...

Patient Financial Responsibility Dissuades ED Care Access

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The specter of a big bill and high patient financial responsibility is getting in the way of emergency department (ED) care access some individuals might actually need, according to data published in...

Inflation Spurs Healthcare Affordability, Patient Care Access Woes

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The nation’s problems with inflation are spilling over into the medical sector, with people reporting that higher prices are causing healthcare affordability and patient care access challenges,...

Patients of Color Feel Impact of Inflation, Patient Care Access Problems

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Inflation is creating healthcare affordability problems, with more people of color than White folks saying the rising cost of healthcare is limiting patient care access, according to recent polling...

How Cost Drives Poor Patient Access to Care for American Men

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Patient access to care is worse for American men than it is for men in any other similarly developed nation, a trend researchers from the Commonwealth Fund attributed to poorer public health and high...

Patient Financial Responsibility Burdens Affect Pre-Medicare Crowd

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The rising cost of healthcare and increases in patient financial responsibility continue to be a burden for older adults, with between a quarter and a third of folks over age 50 saying they need to go...

Price Transparency Tools Remain Key for Financial Experience

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It’s going to take more than the federal healthcare price transparency tool to revamp the patient financial experience, as patients continue to avoid care because of healthcare affordability...

County Struggles with Income Affect Social Determinants of Health

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Income is a leading social determinant of health impacting wellness, but a living wage is far out-of-reach in nearly every county in the United States, according to the 2022 County Health...

Medical Financial Hardship Drives Mortality Risk for Cancer Survivors

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Cancer survivors struggling with medical financial hardship face a higher mortality risk than cancer survivors who do not face the same financial strain, according to a national study published in the...