By Arun Kumar, IANS
Washington : More than 40 million American adults, or about one in five people in the world’s richest nation, say they often go without adequate health care because they cannot afford it, according to a new US government report.
Nearly 20 percent of adults reported they had to do without medical care, prescription medicines, mental health care, dental care, or eyeglasses last year, said the annual report on the nation’s health released Monday by the Centres for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC).
“There has been important progress made in many areas of health such as increased life expectancy and decreases in deaths from leading killers such as heart disease and cancer. But this report shows that access to health care is still an issue where we need improvement,” said CDC Director Julie Gerberding.
In 2005, nearly one in 10 people between the ages of 18 and 64 said they were unable to get necessary prescription drugs during the last 12 months due to cost. Nearly 10 percent said they delayed receiving needed medical care.
The US spends more on health per capita than any other country and health spending continues to increase, the report said, noting that national health care expenditures totalled $2 trillion in 2005, a seven percent increase from 2004.
Hospital spending that accounts for 31 percent of national health expenditures increased by eight percent in 2005.
Private insurance plans paid for 36 percent of total personal health care expenditures in 2005, while the federal government paid for 34 percent, state and local governments paid for 11 percent, and patients paid for 15 percent out of their own pockets. Prescription drugs accounted for 10 percent of national health expenditure in 2005.
Life expectancy was up to 77.8 years for a baby born in 2004 — three years more than in 1990.
“Mortality from heart disease, stroke, and cancer has continued to decline in recent years,” the report said.
But the death rate for motor vehicle-related injuries has remained stable since the early 1990s, with 15 deaths per 100,000 people per year, down from 18.5 per 100,000 in 1990.
The report also said that young adults aged between 18 and 24 were more likely than children or older adults to lack a usual source of care and to be uninsured. About 30 percent of these young adults did not have a usual source of health care, and an equal percentage was uninsured.
One in 10 adults aged between 45 and 64 did not have a usual source of health care, and more than five percent of adults in this age group who had been diagnosed with high blood pressure, serious heart conditions, or diabetes reported not having a usual source of medical care.
In 2005, one out of five people under the age of 65 reported being uninsured for at least part of the 12 months prior to being interviewed. The majority of this group reported being uninsured for more than 12 months.
One in 10 women aged between 45 and 64 with income below the poverty level reported delaying medical care due to lack of transportation.
About one-third of all children living below the poverty level had not undergone a recent dental check-up in 2005, compared with less than one-fifth of children with higher income.
Nearly 15 million adults did not obtain eyeglasses, 25 million did not get dental care, 19 million did not get needed prescribed medicine, and 15 million did not get needed medical care due to high costs.