Monterey, CA People Not Going To The Doctor Enough Due To The Poor Economy And The Price Of Gas And Medical Care

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I have written a number of times on my blog about the fact that health costs have recently come in lower than many expected, however, there is the lingering risk that this is due to high unemployment, the high cost of gas and higher co-pays.  A recent report highlighted the fact that Americans have been going to the doctor less in large part due to these economic factors.  Amongst those between the ages of 18-64, the average number of visits to a doctor or hospital have dropped dramatically over the last decade, from 4.8x per year in 2001 to 3.9x in 2010.  This trend could also be due to the fact that being a physician no longer pays what it did in the past and it's harder to find a doctor, particularly if you are on Medi-Cal.  "There is a severe doctor shortage," Glen Stream, president of the American Academy of Family Physicians," told USA Today.  "It could also be that people have to decide between going to the doctor and buying gas.  They lost a job or are worried they'll lose a job," he said.  Sadly, more than one third of those (38.6%) living in poverty did not visit a medical provider in 2010.  And the percentage of the uninsured who received routine checkups decreased from 13.5% in 2001 to 11.7% in 2010.  Hopefully health care reform will help some of this, but it won't solve everything because the result will be millions more people being put on Medi-Cal.  Unfortunately, most doctors don't take Medi-Cal. 

Please note that this blog reflects my personal opinion and may or may not reflect the opinion of HandsTo Help Seniors and the individual members comprising the Board of Governors.