Buffalo, N.Y. (WBEN) – A new survey finds 71% of moms will forego paying other necessities like rent and utilities to cover the costs of urgent health care treatment.
Dr. Robert Biernbaum of WellNow Urgent Care says as health care is changed, either people are not insured or underinsured. “I’ve been practicing for a couple decades and the idea of high deductible plans, those didn’t exist on a 10 year scale,” says Biernbaum. “So when people have a plan that says you have to cover the first $1,500 up to $10,000 high deductible plans of your health care before insurance kicks in for urgent medical needs, it means that that the system isn’t working because people will avoid care.” He says insurance is becoming very expensive for patients.
What solutions are there? “Ensuring that patients have the appropriate access to get the care that they need when they need it, I think that’s incredibly important for all communities to be able to have those things, because we know that both primary care and urgent care is a way lower cost than going to an emergency department, making sure that people see their providers for preventative care,” says Biernbaum. He says even with high deductible plans preventative health, like getting your physicals, helps to avoid certain issues as well. “Ensuring that patients see their primary care providers regularly for preventative health, I think, is incredibly important knowing that other type of care exist,” he notes…