Routine Medical Care Problems

Routine medical care takes hit in tough economy.
The New York Times (8/17, A14, Pear) reports the "economic crisis" in the US "has reduced the use of routine medical care, and the cutbacks here are much deeper than in countries with universal health care systems," according to researchers in a new report. The study, published by the National Bureau of Economic Research, "finds that 'Americans, who face higher out-of-pocket health care costs, have reduced their routine medical care' much more" than people in Britain, Canada, France and Germany. Among Americans responding to the survey, "26.5 percent reported reducing their use of routine medical care since the start of the global economic crisis in 2007," noted the study by researchers from Dartmouth College, Princeton University and Harvard Business School. They analyzed data from "surveys designed with their help" and carried out in all five countries by TNS, a global market research concern.