Health care costs in the US are rising the most everywhere, and a new study released Wednesday suggests that people seeking care for neurological problems are no exception. The study found that people with private insurance are increasingly paying out of pocket for services such as MRIs, and that these costs have increased over the course of 15 years.
The study, published Wednesday in Neurology, looked at data from over 3 million patients were enrolled in one private health care plan. They looked at health services related to neurology, such as evaluation or management visits with doctors, electromyograms (used to test the connection between our muscles and nerve cells), as well as MRIs and other brain imaging studies. The research period stretched from 2001 to 2016.
Across the board, these services took a greater financial toll on patients over time, they found. In 2001, about 30% of patients had to pay out of pocket for an electromyogram, but that increased to just over 50% in 2016. The same pattern was even worse for MRIs, with about 24% of patients paying for them in 2001 but nearly 70% did the same in 2016. The percentage of people paying out of pocket for doctor visits remained more at the same level but high over the years, with about 95% paying for them in 2016, up from 86.5% in 2001 .
Over time, patients also pay more upfront for these exams and tests, although the actual costs fluctuate wildly. The median cost of an MRI test on its own for example, in 2016 it was $ 103, but the cost could be as high as $ 875 for those above the 95th percentile of patients in the new study. People enrolled in high deductible health plans also often pay even more than others.
As the authors note, many Americans are tied up for cash. They emphasize Research suggesting that about 30% of people would find it difficult to afford $ 400 in emergency expenses in addition to their normal bills. Others Research has shown that more than 50% of Americans are financially strained or concerned about high medical care costs.
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“In this setting, neurological evaluation can result in financial difficulties for patients,” the authors wrote.
The researchers point out that these rising health care costs only make it more likely that people will choose to refrain from seeing a neurologist when necessary or to avoid tests that can diagnose urgent neurological problems – something that’s already happening for medical care in general. A survey published in May found it About 22% of Americans had skipped medical care in the past year because of costs, while another 15% said someone in their family had done so.
Despite these trends, health and insurance costs are expected to continue to rise, but they are not yet clear how much influence the covid-19 pandemic will have on these increases. The authors make some recommendations that would make navigating these costs a bit easier, such as making out-of-pocket costs transparent for patients and doctors up front. But nothing less than drastic action on the part of lawmakers will significantly reduce the burdens people will have to bear.
“Costs have increased to the point where systematic changes are required”, James C. Stevens, president of the American Academy of Neurology, said in a statement released Wednesday in response to the findings of the investigation. “These changes may include legislative measures to limit own costs. The American Academy of Neurology is calling for such limits at its own drug costs in Washington, DC “