Why women are the ones who are being left behind in the health care system
By Laura Rolfe | 10/01/17 05:05:24The number of people with chronic conditions is growing, but so is the health-care system, and that’s a problem for the nation, according to a new report by the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services.
According to the report, the number of Americans with chronic health conditions (CHCs) in 2016 increased by 5.6 percent from 2015 to 2016, but that number only grew by 3.3 percent in the same period of time.
The report found that the average CHC patient stays in the hospital for at least five years, with more than a quarter of those with chronic illnesses needing to stay in the ER for longer than that.
The report, released Tuesday, said that CHCs are also disproportionately burdened by the costs of care.
According to the HHS, the average cost of a Medicare prescription drug for a patient with a CHC was $6,879 in 2016, with an average annual out-of-pocket cost of $12,903.
This equates to a per capita cost of almost $3,000.
As for the overall health care environment, the report said that “health care for the CHCs is not meeting their health needs, particularly in rural areas.”
The report said the health systems of many states are already experiencing a shortage of doctors and nurses to serve the CHC population, with the U,S.
Chamber of Commerce saying it has “seen a significant decline in the number and quality of physician appointments.”
The chamber, which is a member of the AMA, also said that there is a shortage in primary care specialists and that “there is insufficient availability of specialists to provide specialized services to underserved populations.”
The U. S. Chamber also pointed out that there are over 9,000 U.s. physicians, compared to 1,400 in the United Kingdom.
The U S. also noted that a large number of states have experienced a spike in hospitalizations due to the coronavirus pandemic.
A 2016 study from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention found that over 11 million U. s. people have been hospitalized due to coronaviral disease since the virus was first identified in late February.