It's no secret among spine surgeons that patients with high deductible insurance plans wait longer to have elective procedures. The problem is, more patients now have high deductible plans and the deductibles are much higher than they were a decade ago, in most cases.
A Wall Street Journal report covers this trend, quoting orthopedic spine surgeon David Holte, MD, on his observations about changing patient behaviors. The observations he sees include:
• People shopping around more for care
• Asking more questions about whether tests are necessary
• Cutting back on tests they don't need
• Having cost discussions with their providers
• Delaying surgeries, including hip and knee replacements
This past year, a third of Americans report they or a family member delayed medical care because of costs, according to Gallup. The average deductible for workers with employer health coverage is up 47 percent since 2009, says a Kaiser Family Foundation and Health Research & Education Trust report.
In addition to the higher deductibles, the WSJ mentions the sluggish economic recovery, efforts to provide more preventative care and emphasis on cutting healthcare waste and fraud as reasons for the healthcare spending slow-down since 2010.