Healthcare costs in the United States are rising more everywhere and a new study on Wednesday suggests people seeking care for neurological problems are no exception. The study found that people with private insurance are increasingly paying out of pocket for services such as MRIs, and that these costs have increased over 15 years.
The study, published Wednesday in Neurology, looked at data from more than 3 million patients enrolled in a single private health care plan. They examined neurology-related health care services, such as evaluation or management visits with doctors, electromyograms (used to test the connection between our muscles and nerve cells), as well as MRIs and other brain imaging exams. The study period extends from 2001 to 2016.
Overall, these services meant an economic burden for patients over time, they found. In 2001, about 30% of patients had to pay out of pocket for an electromyogram, but it increased to just over 50% in 2016. The same pattern was even worse for MRIs, with around of 24% of patients who had to pay in 2001 but almost 70% did the same in 2016. The percentage of people who paid out-of-pocket visits to doctors remained higher but higher over the years, with 95% paying for them in 2016, compared to 86% , 5% of 2001.
Patients also pay in advance for these exams and tests over time, although actual costs fluctuate enormously. The average cost of an MRI test alone in 2016 it was $ 103, for example, but the costs can be as high as $ 875 for those who exceed the 95th percentile of patients in the new study. People enrolled in highly deductible health plans also tend to pay even more than others.
As the authors point out, many Americans are unemployed in cash as is. They stand out research suggesting that 30% of people would find it difficult to pay $ 400 in emergency expenses in addition to their usual bills. Others research has shown that more than 50% of Americans have a financial burden or are concerned about high health care costs.
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“In this context, neurological assessment can cause financial difficulties for patients,” the authors wrote.
Researchers point out that this increase in healthcare costs will only make it more likely that people will choose to give up a neurologist when necessary or to avoid tests that diagnose urgent neurological problems, which is already happening for the medical care in general. A poll released this May Found about 22% of Americans had skipped medical care because of the cost over the past year, while another 15% said someone in their family had done so.
Despite these trends, the costs of health care and insurance are expected to continue to rise, although they are not. still clear what impact the covid-19 pandemic will have on these increases. The authors offer some recommendations that will make it easier to navigate these costs, such as making your out-of-pocket costs transparent to patients and doctors. But nothing less than drastic action by lawmakers will significantly reduce the burden that people will have to bear.
“Costs have risen to the point that systematic changes are needed,” James C. Stevens, president of the American Academy of Neurology, he said in a statement released Wednesday in response to the study’s findings. “These changes could include legislative action to put a limit on the costs of your pocket. The American Academy of Neurology argues that these costs are limited to pocket drugs in Washington, DC.”