Simply stated health care

It’s probably a young person’s nightmare – a world overrun by old people.

According to a 2010 report from the U.S. Census Bureau, the older population is growing at a faster pace than the younger generation.

Good to know we still do some things faster than the younger set.

As good as that might sound, some of our baby boomers and their parents are neglecting their health care to save money. That’s according to a report from the Employee Benefit Research Institute  (EBRI), a private, non-profit organization based in Washington, D.C. 

Consumerism of Sign of the Times?

Some of the cost-cutting is simply good consumerism.

More than 1 in 5 (21.5 percent) of Americans over age 50 generated savings by making changes in prescription drugs.

• Some switched to generic drugs
• Others obtained free samples

That’s the good news.

The bad news is:

• That same group reported stopping pills or reducing prescribed dosages
• Nearly as many in the age group report skipping or postponing doctor visits
• More than a quarter of the households (27.5 percent) had difficulties paying bills

Even households where annual spending did not change, survey respondents reported prescription changes (16.5 percent) and skipping or postponing doctor visits (11.7 percent).

You Are Not Alone

The delaying of health care may not be isolated to the over 50 crowd.

With an increasing number of high-deductible health plans, there is concern that individuals delay care to avoid paying the high out-of-pocket costs associated with the deductibles.

So, is it a generation thing or a sign of our tough economic times?

In either case, the delaying of check-ups and non-compliance with prescribed treatment can have deadly consequences.

Consider these startling statistics from the American Diabetes Association.

• 25.8 million children and adults in the United States have diabetes
• 7.0 million people are undiagnosed
• 79 million are pre-diabetes

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