Millions of U.S. residents who have chronic conditions are not receiving appropriate care because they are uninsured, according to a study published Aug. 5 in Annals of Internal Medicine.
For the study, researchers analyzed health surveys of adults ages 18 to 64 conducted by the federal government. The researchers found that of the 36 million people who reported having no health insurance in 2004--the latest data examined by the study--about 11 million people had been diagnosed with a chronic condition. However, researchers noted the estimate likely is low because it does not factor in uninsured U.S. residents who have a chronic condition with which they have not yet been diagnosed. The study also found that less than 25 percent of the uninsured with a chronic condition reported seeing a physician within the previous year and that about 7 percent said they would visit the emergency department if they needed care.
The researchers noted that the study raises doubts regarding the common assumption that many uninsured U.S. residents are young and healthy. Read the abstract.
