AARP Survey: Economic Downturn Hurting Health Care Coverage and Access

Boomers Skipping Care, Likely Driving Up Future Costs; 1 in 5 People in Medicare Have Experienced Waste, Fraud or Abuse

September 30, 2009 -- WASHINGTON—As AARP continues to fight for health care reforms that will reduce costs and improve access to coverage, new survey data released today find many older Americans—particularly baby boomers—need help more than ever.

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The AARP Closer LookSM survey finds more than one-third of boomers (36 percent) and nearly a quarter of people 65-plus (23 percent) are not confident their insurance and savings would cover the costs of a major illness.

“The evidence is clear that older Americans need the health care system fixed—whether they’re boomers in the private insurance market or seniors in Medicare,” said AARP Executive Vice President John Rother. “No one should ever be forced to skip a prescription or a doctor’s visit because they’re worried about the cost.”

Even boomers with health coverage often go without the treatment they need. More than a third (34 percent) of people 45 to 64 reported postponing health care treatments in the last year because of the economic downturn. Nearly a quarter (23 percent) reported not filling a prescription, cutting pills in half or skipping doses of a prescription. Even more in that age group (27 percent) had trouble paying medical bills.

In the same age group, 12 percent reported being uninsured, with the vast majority having been without coverage for at least one year. This group of uninsured boomers—estimated to be more than 7 million Americans—risks serious health complications and higher costs later in life, with 87 percent skipping treatments and 55 percent cutting back on prescription drugs. Research in the Journal of the American Medical Association has shown that people who are uninsured in their 50s and 60s use more services when they enter Medicare, placing a greater burden on the program and their own wallets.

Among the Medicare population (Americans 65-plus), the poll found individuals were less likely than boomers to go without needed treatment, though many still postponed care (17 percent) or skipped medications (12 percent) because of the turbulent economy. Health reform proposals under consideration on Capitol Hill would add more preventive benefits and improve drug coverage for people in Medicare to better help this population get the screenings and treatments they need but sometimes struggle to afford.

Several health reform provisions would also crack down on the waste, fraud and abuse that nearly one in five people in Medicare (19 percent) reported experiencing, including duplicative tests and bills for items or services they did not receive. A vast majority of those in Medicare (80 percent) felt cracking down on waste, fraud and abuse should be a top priority in health care reform. Proposals now in Congress would eliminate billions of dollars in Medicare waste, fraud and abuse by stepping up enforcement, improving care coordination and reducing subsidies to private insurance companies.

Methodology
The AARP Closer Look(SM) survey is made up of two questionnaires:

General health care questions were asked of Americans age 45 and older. RDD telephone interviews were conducted from July 22 – August 3, 2009 among a nationally representative sample of 939 respondents 45 years of age or older. Of those, 100 respondents were Hispanic and 103 respondents were African-American. The margin of error for total respondents is +/-3.20% at the 95% confidence level.

For questions regarding Medicare waste, fraud and abuse, AARP conducted a survey of the 65-plus population. RDD telephone interviews were conducted from July 23 – August 9, 2009 among a nationally representative sample of 624 respondents 65 years of age or older. Of those, a total of 112 were Hispanic. The margin of error for total respondents is +/-3.92% at the 95% confidence level. Weights are applied to allow unbiased generalization to the overall 65+ cohort.

Both surveys are available at http://www.aarp.org/research/surveys/money/econ/trends/articles/closer_l...

Source: AARP