One of the largest costs for citizens in the United States is the cost of health insurance. As older people age, they are more likely to suffer from chronic illnesses, making access to medical care increasingly important to people. old people.
A new study from Oregon Health & Science University finds that about a quarter of low-income patients treated at community health centers are treated by age 65, the age at which most Americans become eligible for federal Medicare. Have insurance but do not yet have health insurance Health insurance program.
Research published in the Journal of the American Board of Family Medicine has uncovered some inefficiencies in health insurance coverage for older Americans, who generally have more illnesses than the rest of the population.
The analysts emphasized that Medicare allows adults in the U.S. to get the basic medical care they need. “However, access to health care earlier in life can also prevent conditions from developing or worsening as we age.” We are getting older, they added.
Inadequate health insurance
They emphasized that one in four older adults continues to have inadequate health insurance as they age. “After reaching Medicare eligibility age, a significant proportion of patients were diagnosed with new conditions, resulting in a high burden of disease,” they added.
Nathalie Huguet, associate professor of family medicine at the OHSU College of Medicine, said, “It is likely that these patients unknowingly previously had chronic illnesses.”
“Medicare enables older Americans to get the essential health care they need. However, earlier access to medical care can also prevent diseases from developing or worsening as we age,” the text continues.
Methodology
For this study, Huguet and his colleagues examined data from electronic medical records for more than 45,000 patients who were eligible for Medicare between 2014 and 2019.
The records relate to patient encounters in community health centers, which provide care regardless of the patient’s ability to pay and largely serve people with limited economic resources.
Experts pointed out that Medicare requires its enrollees to be U.S. citizens or legal permanent residents of the U.S., making government insurance out of reach for older adults who are undocumented immigrants.
They also stated that low-income patients may not be able to pay Medicare premiums.
“It is more difficult to manage health conditions in the United States without insurance. This can lead to costly hospitalizations and preventable illnesses that require expensive healthcare services,” emphasized Huguet.
The study shows that patients have varying levels of chronic disease severity and health insurance coverage patterns when eligible for Medicare.
Results showed that 72% of patients were consistently insured, 14% received insurance; and 14% were uninsured or not continuously insured.
A basic need
In this sense, they asserted that “access to health insurance is a basic need that is unequally distributed in the country and contributes to poor management of chronic diseases.”
They further claimed that community health centers (CHCs) in the U.S. serve 29 million patients nationwide and provide health care to medically underserved populations, regardless of health insurance coverage, documentation status, or ability to pay.
The cost of health insurance in the United States varies significantly and depends on factors such as age, health, type of insurance desired, and location.
According to an article from TravelHolics, the average monthly premium for individual health insurance in the United States is about $456 per month.
