People who gained or lost health insurance are more likely to visit the emergency room than those who maintain stable coverage, according to a study.
The numbers of visits even out over time once someone has insurance or remains uninsured for more than a year, according to researchers from the University of Colorado School of Medicine. They looked at data on about 160,000 Americans who responded to a national health survey, Reuters reports. About 20 percent of respondents without coverage had visited an emergency room within the past year, compared to 21 percent of those with coverage.
The difference was greater for those whose insured status had changed recently, however. Of respondents who had been covered for less than a year, 30 percent reported visiting an emergency room within the past year. Only 20 percent of those who had been covered for longer did so. Among the uninsured, 19 percent of the continuously uninsured visited ERs and 26 percent of those who lost coverage recently did so.
The results suggest that reducing or cutting employee benefit coverage could result in short-term cost increases for employees. The uninsured may also get into the habit of going without medical treatments, which may harm their health and wellness over time. Experts warn this can increase the likelihood of developing more serious conditions later, which often requires expensive treatments.
