Chronic illnesses more often undiscovered, undertreated in uninsured

[kpete]

Source: Boston Globe

Boston Medical Center, Cambridge Health
Chronic illnesses more often undiscovered, undertreated in uninsured

By Elizabeth Cooney, Globe Correspondent

Uninsured people are also more likely to have undiagnosed and undertreated medical conditions, according to a new study comparing chronic illnesses among Americans with and without health coverage. The results offer possible clues to a recently reported higher death rate among people who lack insurance.

Researchers from Cambridge Health Alliance and Boston Medical Center tracked diabetes, high blood pressure, and high cholesterol in a national survey of more than 15,000 working-age adults. Based on questionnaires, medical exams, and lab test results, they found that about half of uninsured people who had diabetes or high cholesterol were unaware of it, compared with just under one-quarter of insured people who did not know they had these conditions. High blood pressure, however, was undiagnosed in about a quarter of both uninsured and insured people.

Once diagnosed, hypertension was poorly controlled in 58 percent of uninsured people and 51 percent of those with insurance. The treatment gap was larger for high cholesterol: 77 percent of uninsured versus 60 percent of insured people had inadequately treated levels.

For diabetes control, the difference in treatment was not as clear. Insurance status did not matter in achieving good diabetes control, as defined by the national survey conducted by the US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. But using less stringent measures that the authors say are more commonly used by physicians, 31 percent of uninsured diabetics were in poor control of their blood sugar levels, compared with 25 percent of insured diabetics.

Read more: http://www.boston.com/news/health/blog/2009/10/post_33.html

[sinkingfeeling]

1. To me this is another one of those 'duh' reports.

[PDJane]

2. Thank you. Yes, it is.

[bemildred]

6. No shit Sherlock?

Next they will notice that people with no money don't always eat well.

[Hekate]

3. No kidding.

[debbierlus]

4. One of those 'water is wet' articles

[caseymoz]

5. I'm glad somebody noticed, but this is an old story.

http://journals.democraticunderground.com/caseymoz/46

If you read this, you realize how badly our country screwed the poor by not getting single-payer in 1972, and how every year we do not have it will be a disservice and disgrace to ourselves.