QuickStats: Delayed or Forgone Medical Care Because of Cost Concerns* Among Adults Aged 18--64 Years,† by Disability§ and Health Insurance Coverage Status¶ --- National Health Interview Survey, United States, 2009

QuickStats: Delayed or Forgone Medical Care Because of Cost Concerns* Among Adults Aged 18--64 Years,† by Disability§ and Health Insurance Coverage Status¶ --- National Health Interview Survey, United States, 2009
Weekly
November 12, 2010 / 59(44);




* Based on responses to two questions: "During the past 12 months, has [person] delayed seeking medical care because of worry about the cost?" and "During the past 12 months, was there any time when [person] needed medical care but did not get it because [person] could not afford it?" Both questions exclude dental care.

† Estimates are age adjusted to the 2000 U.S. census civilian, noninstitutionalized population.

§ Disability is any difficulty in basic actions, which includes movement, vision, hearing, emotion, and cognition. Of 188,273,000 working age adults, 24.5% reported a difficulty in basic actions.

¶ Insurance coverage includes public and private plans and is stratified by duration of coverage during the year before the interview.

** 95% confidence interval.

During 2009, working-age adults with a disability were approximately 2.5 times more likely than adults without a disability to report delaying or forgoing medical care in the past year because of cost. This difference was found for adults with and without health insurance coverage. Among adults who were continuously insured for the past year, 15.5% of working-age adults with a disability reported delaying or forgoing medical care needs compared with 5.8% of those without a disability. For adults without coverage at any time during the past year or longer, the percentage of adults with a disability (60.8%) who reported delaying or forgoing medical care needs because of cost was twice as high as the percentage of adults without a disability (30.7%). Overall, delayed or forgone medical needs because of cost were highest among adults without insurance, regardless of disability status.

Source: National Health Interview Survey, 2009. Available at http://www.cdc.gov/nchs/nhis.htm.

Alternate Text: The figure above shows delayed or forgone medical care needs because of cost concerns among adults aged 18–64 years, by disability and health insurance coverage status in the United States in 2009. During 2009, working-age adults with a disability were approximately 2.5 times more likely than adults without a disability to report delaying or forgoing medical care in the previous year because of cost. This difference was found for adults with and without health insurance coverage. Among adults who were continuously insured for the previous year, 15.5% of working-age adults with a disability reported delaying or forgoing medical care needs compared with 5.8% of those without a disability. For adults without coverage at any time during the past year or longer, the percentage of adults with a disability (60.8%) who reported delaying or forgoing medical care needs because of cost was twice as high as the percentage of adults without a disability (30.7%). Overall, delayed or forgone medical needs because of cost were highest among adults without insurance, regardless of disability status.

QuickStats: Delayed or Forgone Medical Care Because of Cost Concerns* Among Adults Aged 18--64 Years,† by Disability§ and Health Insurance Coverage Status¶ --- National Health Interview Survey, United States, 2009