Thousands of people across the country gathered to discuss our heath care system and their biggest health care concerns. The U.S. Department of Health and Human Services analyzed their positions and compiled the Report on Health Care Community Discussions. Here’s what they said…

Access to quality, affordable health care and health insurance is a huge concern among the American population. In fact, according to the community health discussions, which we introduced in yesterday’s post, a significant percentage of participants expressed concern over access to health care.

• 37% were concerned about being denied access due to pre-existing conditions

• 27% have had difficulties accessing health care

• 20% felt as though their heath insurance coverage was inadequate

• 18% were concerned about the shortage of health care providers

• 16% felt that health care for many Americans is only accessible through hospital emergency rooms

According to a group in Bethesda, Maryland, the main problem is that “access to quality care is determined by ability to pay rather than need.” And unfortunately, that seems to be true these days.

How many of you have been denied health insurance coverage because of a pre-existing condition? Probably more people than we think! And although we’re in the health insurance industry & we support it as much as we possibly can, this is one thing that drives us crazy. Oftentimes, pre-existing conditions are not our fault. Who chooses to get a disease, tear their ACL, or develop asthma? It has nothing to do with our choice, it just happens to be the cards we are dealt – which is exactly why we don’t think that people should be punished for those conditions.  And that’s exactly how many Americans feel as well. According to the community health discussions, as introduced in yesterday’s post, 37% of the participants were concerned about being denied health care access due to pre-existing conditions.

From Wisconsin Dells, Wisconsin: “My mother is epileptic; she has been all of her life. This is not a choice she made, this is a condition… but because of her condition she is denied coverage. It’s not that she is just not covered for her epilepsy issues, she is denied for all her health concerns, prevention included. She is un-insurable. Yet I know of few people who are healthier or tougher. She takes excellent care of herself, but [is] still un-insurable.”

And this wasn’t the only story related to pre-existing conditions. People in California admitted to traveling to Mexico to received health care because she can’t afford health insurance to help with her pre-existing conditions. And the discrepancy doesn’t just hurt the elderly; it can affect people of all ages. One couple spoke about their son’s difficulties finding health insurance because he had Hodgkin’s Lymphoma as a teenager. Although he has fully recovered, the medical records still keep him from obtaining affordable health insurance. Another mother spoke about her young daughter who had open-heart surgery at the age of 3. Now, at the age of only 4, she is considered “un-insurable.” Her mother just doesn’t understand why our country chooses to provide education to all children, but not health care.

The health insurance problem is only the tip of the iceberg. Because so many people lack quality health insurance coverage, they tend to rely on emergency rooms for their health care needs. Because they cannot afford preventive care or frequent visits to a primary care physician, they hold off on seeking treatment as long as possible. And because emergency rooms cannot refuse care, they have become a primary source of health care for a huge portion of the population.

Another significant concern among the participants related to the quality of health insurance, and what services it covered. Many participants felt that mental health care and dental health care should not be discriminated against, and should be covered just as adequately as physical health care. Likewise, many people were concerned about the lack of coverage for women’s preventive health care, such as breast and cervical cancer screenings, sexual treatment infection screening and treatment, and birth control.

From Denver, Colorado: “Some of my friends have stopped using birth control because it is too expensive. They literally are making decisions about birth control and pap smears and filling up their gas tank or buying groceries. It is so sad that these days women cannot protect themselves the way they should be able to. Women’s health care is very preventative and if my friends had access to those services it would be a lot less expensive in the long run.”

We hope to see you again tomorrow as we continue to discuss the Health Care Community Discussion Report. Tomorrow we’ll focus on the lack of health care prevention, and the concern that preventive care is not as emphasized as it should be.

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