If Michigan is any indication, a dirty little secret about US healthcare coverage is starting to raise its ugly head. The Center for Healthcare Research & Transformation (CHRT) found some telling signs that healthcare insurance coverage doesn’t necessarily mean access to care for many people. The reason? Money.

Among 1,022 adults  CHRT surveyed, 88% were insured. Typically that would be trumpeted as a victory. However, 17% of those insured continued to delay care due to cost. That’s right: even with healthcare insurance, people can’t afford care. That leaves us once again alone among developed, capitalistic countries.

Worse, though, was the confirmation of a trend exposed in a recent national survey of county health. Again, among developed nations, only in America does income determine your health. Of those earning $150,000 or more, 72% said they were in good or excellent health. Of those earning $10,000 or less, only 14% felt that way. No, healthcare coverage was not the deciding factor here, either. Less than half (49%) of those insured felt they were in very good or excellent health, while 47% of the uninsured said the same.

If you’re familiar with the House and Senate healthcare legislation, you know that both chambers of Congress have trumpeted a $5,000 individual/$10,000 family deductible as the answer to spiraling US healthcare costs. The CHRT survey shows our lawmakers may want to reconsider that “gold standard” — especially if the individual insurance mandate will be part of final legislation. After all, outcomes are what matter, not convenient politics.

Photo Credit: Mike Licht

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