New England Journal of Medicine study reported in the NY Times.

Last week the New York Times reported on a study done by Harvard researcher John Ayanian. His team looked at what happened when people who had not had insurance suddenly could have their health care paid for by the Medicare program. The effect they found was a surge in the use of health care by those previously uninsured and higher use rates than insured people that lasted for several years.

Deft Adds Information

This June, Deft Research conducted an Age-in Study of 2000+ persons aged 63-64. Seeing the Times article spurred us to look at our own data. Adding to the Times report, we found that 63-64 year olds who are not insured are less likely to report that a doctor has told them they have many of the chronic illness asked about on the survey.

All the respondents providing data for the chart above were 63 or 64 years old. The chart provides detail on diagnoses missed because of lack of medical attention. Uninsured
persons are more likely to be unmarried and have lower educations and incomes than insured persons. These characteristics are often associated with higher prevalence of disease. So we have reason to believe that the uninsured are as sick or sicker and the chart is showing lack of diagnoses, not better health. The chart suggests that the diseases most often left undiagnosed are high cholesterol, high blood pressure, and diabetes. Assuming
that uninsured and insured persons have at least similar prevalence of disease, the chart indicates that as much as one-third of high cholesterol and diabetes cases and one quarter of high blood pressure cases are undetected in the nearly senior uninsured. GERD, Osteoporosis, and depression are also undiagnosed in significant proportions.

Using Research

If you would like to discuss the uses of this research and how custom research works,
please call 612/436-8318 or email rhamer@deftresearch.com

612/436-8318.

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