Friday, November 21, 2014
Commonwealth Fund Research Shows Elderly in U.S. Have Trouble Paying Medical Bills
The Commonwealth Fund surveyed older adults in 11 nations and found that the U.S. leads the pack in the percentage of older adults who have trouble paying their medical bills. Making things even worse, 68 percent of Americans age 65 and older have two or more chronic illnesses.
Older adults in the U.S. also reported difficulty getting care in a timely fashion and using emergency departments for issues that a primary care physician could treat.
The Commonwealth Fund’s survey looked at how well health systems are caring for older adults, where the gaps in performance are, and how policy reforms can make a difference....