Survey of Family Doctors Shows Recession Taking Toll on Patients

Jun 19th, 2009

The results of a national survey by the American Academy of Family Physicians (AAFP) confirms the potentially serious impact the recession is having on Americans' access to healthcare. Nearly 90 percent of the family physicians surveyed reported their "patients have expressed concerns recently over their ability to pay for their healthcare needs." In fact, 58 percent said they had "seen an increase in appointment cancellations." Furthermore, 60 percent reported they had "seen more health problems caused by their patients forgoing needed preventive care

The survey also found that:

Two-thirds (66 percent) were taking specific actions, such as discounting their fees, increasing charity care, providing free screenings and moving patients to generic prescriptions, to help their patients manage healthcare needs in the current economic climate.
More than half (54 percent) are seeing fewer total patients since the recession began in January 2008.
Seventy-three percent of respondents have seen an increase in uninsured patients visiting their offices.
Sixty-four percent of respondents reported a decrease in the number of employer-sponsored/privately insured patients.
Nearly 90 percent have seen a significant increase in patients with major stress symptoms since the beginning of the recession.

Patients are also canceling or deferring important preventive screenings, and are failing to return for recommended follow-up visits or refill medications that are vital to managing their chronic conditions. Read the full survey results here.

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