Costs a Barrier to Asthma Care for Some Kids
Costs a Barrier to Asthma Care for Some Kids
High co-pays prevent some children from seeing a doctor or getting needed meds, study finds
THURSDAY, May 22, 2014 (HealthDay News) -- High health insurance co-pays in the United States increase the odds that children with asthma will miss out on important doctor visits and preventive medications, a new survey finds.
Parents with higher co-pays reported switching to less expensive drugs, giving their children less medication than prescribed and putting off doctor visits or trips to the emergency room.
"Asthma is one of the most common chronic conditions among children, and the prevalence of asthma is greater among low-income populations," said study author Vicki Fung, a health services researcher at Massachusetts General Hospital in Boston.
Over 9 percent of U.S. children have the potentially fatal chronic respiratory illness, according to the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.
Children who are treated early and use medication to prevent asthma flare-ups do better than kids who are only treated when an attack occurs, said Dr. Jefry Biehler, chairman of pediatrics at Miami Children's Hospital in Florida.
As health insurers and employers require patients to pay more out-of-pocket medical costs, many families, even those with insurance, could struggle to afford the cost of care, Fung said.
The Affordable Care Act, signed into law in 2010, has enabled more families to obtain health insurance, but some of those policies are expensive or require cost-sharing. Also, although the law provides for subsidies for many low-income children, certain rules exclude some families from receiving these subsidies. And Fung questions whether these subsidies are enough to reduce cost barriers to care.
This new study, published online May 19 in the journal JAMA Pediatrics, provides valuable information, Biehler found. "It is concerning that the children we deal with are sometimes more vulnerable in areas we didn't recognize," he said.
Gaps in insurance coverage that keep children from getting the care and medicine they need should be closed, he added.
"We have to be careful that we don't create a void for those families that can't afford all the things they need for their child, but who are above the financial level that gives them government insurance that will provide everything at no or minimal cost," he said.
Costs a Barrier to Asthma Care for Some Kids
High co-pays prevent some children from seeing a doctor or getting needed meds, study finds
THURSDAY, May 22, 2014 (HealthDay News) -- High health insurance co-pays in the United States increase the odds that children with asthma will miss out on important doctor visits and preventive medications, a new survey finds.
Parents with higher co-pays reported switching to less expensive drugs, giving their children less medication than prescribed and putting off doctor visits or trips to the emergency room.
"Asthma is one of the most common chronic conditions among children, and the prevalence of asthma is greater among low-income populations," said study author Vicki Fung, a health services researcher at Massachusetts General Hospital in Boston.
Over 9 percent of U.S. children have the potentially fatal chronic respiratory illness, according to the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.
Children who are treated early and use medication to prevent asthma flare-ups do better than kids who are only treated when an attack occurs, said Dr. Jefry Biehler, chairman of pediatrics at Miami Children's Hospital in Florida.
As health insurers and employers require patients to pay more out-of-pocket medical costs, many families, even those with insurance, could struggle to afford the cost of care, Fung said.
The Affordable Care Act, signed into law in 2010, has enabled more families to obtain health insurance, but some of those policies are expensive or require cost-sharing. Also, although the law provides for subsidies for many low-income children, certain rules exclude some families from receiving these subsidies. And Fung questions whether these subsidies are enough to reduce cost barriers to care.
This new study, published online May 19 in the journal JAMA Pediatrics, provides valuable information, Biehler found. "It is concerning that the children we deal with are sometimes more vulnerable in areas we didn't recognize," he said.
Gaps in insurance coverage that keep children from getting the care and medicine they need should be closed, he added.
"We have to be careful that we don't create a void for those families that can't afford all the things they need for their child, but who are above the financial level that gives them government insurance that will provide everything at no or minimal cost," he said.
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