RWJF Poll on Sick Patients and Finances

[country mom]

http://www.rwjf.org/newsroom/product.jsp?id=74256

Poll: Many Sick Americans Experience Significant Financial Problems and Report their Care is not Well-Managed.

[kdawggy]

I see financial problems every day with my patients. They either don't get meds they need or add to the stress of their illnesses with financial worries. We love insurance in this country but what bothers me is that all insurances cover different things and so some patients may have access to more services than others simply because of the plan their employer picked. The inequities kill me.

[NRSKarenRN, BSN, RN]

The average home care patient is on 15 medications. Trying to close a state govenment budget shorfall, PA medicaid program has decided to pay for only 6 prescriptions/month. Our Medicaid HMO that covers 40% our patients sent us a letter they are following state program "unless medication will cause significant harm--doctor just needs to send this form for us to consider payment...especially if finacially feasible to pay for meds".

My crystal ball predicts many hospitalizations after patients unable to get meds refilled at pharmacy resulting in higher costs from hospital bill. Penny wise, pound foolish.