Patients losing confidence in their ability to pay for care

Patients losing confidence in their ability to pay for care
Results from a recent survey were even worse than those from 2009. Experts suspect the new health system reform law has created significant uncertainty.

By Victoria Stagg Elliott, amednews staff. Posted May 19, 2010.

Patients have become more likely to believe they do not have enough money for medical care -- and that their situation is going to get worse in the near future.

That's according to the latest Consumer Healthcare Sentiment Index released April 28 by Thomson Reuters.

"People, in general, are not really optimistic about their ability to obtain and pay for the health care they need," said Gary Pickens, PhD, chief research officer at Thomson Reuters' Center for Healthcare Improvement.

Researchers surveyed approximately 3,000 households in the PULSE Healthcare Survey to assess consumer feelings around the ability to pay for health care. A baseline score of 100 was created out of the responses to the December 2009 questionnaires. Another survey in March determined how feelings had changed.

The score measuring confidence in the ability to pay for medical services within the past three months went down to 98. But those surveyed were even more pessimistic about the future. The prospective score, which measures confidence in ability to pay for care over the next three months, went down to 96.

This score now will be released monthly, and future surveys will explore why these numbers go up or down, although experts suspect that the extensive recent discussions and legislation around health system reform are playing a significant role in current trends.

"Many believe that the declines, especially in the future outlook, are probably related to all the political wrangling around health care reform legislation," Pickens said. "I think we are going to get a better idea of that when we ask directly about their reaction to the legislation."

The survey did not correlate the belief that health care was not affordable with actually delaying or canceling doctor visits, lab tests, surgeries or other therapies.

Subsequent surveys are expected to investigate those questions. Several medical society surveys indicated that patients deferred care throughout the recent economic downturn.

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