The accessibility of basic healthcare services to U.S. adults has decreased in almost every state over the past decade, according to new research.
The percentage of adults who had an unmet medical need because of expenses increased by six points from 2000 to 2010, according to the Urban Institute and the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation. Among uninsured Americans, it rose by about 10.8 percent. Taking those increases into account, about 11.2 and 48.1 percent of insured and uninsured adults, respectively, had a health need go unmet because of cost, the report indicates.
Researchers also examined two health access indicators and found them declining. About 5 percent fewer adults received a routine check-up, while the number making dental visits dropped by 3.9 percent. In both cases, as with the first indicator, the impact was greater on the uninsured.
The effects varied by state, with residents of Tennessee, Georgia and Florida affected the worst. A total of 42 states experienced an increase in the number of adults who had unmet medical needs and 49 states posted a significant decline in at least one of the three metrics examined.
This growing dilemma may have a major impact on the shape of government policies toward health insurance and employee benefits, and suggests more individuals might see employer-sponsored coverage as valuable than in the past.
