Thomson Reuters Study Finds More Patients Postponing Medical Care Due to Cost

Consumer Health Survey Shows Physician Visits Are First to Go When Money Gets
Tight

ANN ARBOR, Mich., April 20 /PRNewswire/ -- More patients are postponing
healthcare due to cost, according to a study released today by the Healthcare
business of Thomson Reuters. A total of 20 percent of U.S. households
postponed or cancelled care in the past year, a sharp increase from 2006.
Among those who postponed or cancelled care, 24.1 percent of households cited
cost as the primary reason.

These findings are based on a telephone survey of 12,000 households conducted
from February 11 to March 15 -- a wave of the Thomson Reuters PULSE Healthcare
Survey, the largest and longest running privately funded household survey on
health behavior and utilization in the nation. Responses were then analyzed
over a three-year period to chart long term trends in consumer healthcare
utilization.

Following are the key findings of the analysis:

-- More Patients Postpone Care Due to Cost: One in five U.S. households
postponed or cancelled medical care over the past year, up from 15.9
percent in 2006 when the survey last addressed this issue. Among 2009
respondents who postponed or cancelled care, 24.1 percent said cost
was
the primary reason. In 2006, the primary reason cited was lack of
time.
-- Physician Visits Are First to Go: The majority of postponed services
(54.7 percent) were for physician visits, followed by imaging (8
percent), non-elective procedures (6.3 percent), and lab or diagnostic
tests (5.7 percent).
-- Rising Ranks of Uninsured: The percentage of households with
employer-sponsored insurance showed a notable decline since the start
of
the recession, declining from 59 percent in early 2008 to 54.6 percent
in early 2009. The population of respondents covered by Medicaid
increased from 11.9 percent to 14.5 percent during the same period.

-- Pessimistic Regarding Future Care: One in five (21 percent) said they
expect to have difficulty paying for health insurance or healthcare
services in the next three months. Respondents said the most likely
services to be deferred are elective procedures (28 percent) and
treatment for minor injuries (16 percent).

"The results of this survey have serious implications for public health
officials, hospital administrators, and healthcare consumers," said Gary
Pickens, chief research officer for the Healthcare business of Thomson Reuters
and lead author of the study. "We are seeing a positive correlation between
Americans losing their access to employer-sponsored health insurance and
deferral of healthcare."

"If this trend continues, it will ultimately have an impact on our collective
wellbeing," Pickens added.

The study is available here:
http://provider.thomsonhealthcare.com/Articles/view/?id=2188 (one-time
registration required). It is part of a series of research papers from the
Healthcare business of Thomson Reuters analyzing the impact of the current
recession on U.S. hospitals and healthcare using both public and proprietary
data. Future reports will track hospital financial performance, healthcare
outcomes, and additional consumer trends.

About Thomson Reuters
The Healthcare business of Thomson Reuters produces insights, information,
benchmarks and analysis that enable organizations to manage costs, improve
performance and enhance the quality of healthcare. Thomson Reuters is the
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SOURCE Thomson Reuters

David Wilkins, Media Relations, Healthcare, of Thomson Reuters,
+1-734-913-3397, david.wilkins@thomsonreuters.com