Survey: People with health insurance discouraged by medical costs
Those working in the manufacturing sector report anxiety over insurance security.
Being insured may not mean a person’s medical needs are met, according to a recent survey of Michigan residents by the Center for Healthcare Research & Transformation.
Seventeen percent of those with insurance said they delayed getting healthcare because of costs, compared with the 40 percent of uninsured respondents who did so. Urban dwellers – including those from low-income households – reported easier access to medical care than those living in the suburbs.
There was no correlation between respondents’ health level and whether they were insured, according to the survey.
Anxiety over losing insurance crept into sectors previously thought to be secure. Those with government, high-tech or construction jobs felt secure about their health insurance, while a growing anxiety within manufacturing brought this sector close to levels experienced within the arts, retail and hospitality.
“These findings point to the changing economic landscape in Michigan,” Marianne Udow-Philips, director of the Center for Healthcare Transformation and Research, said. “Worries about the potential loss of health insurance coverage have now extended to those in manufacturing.”
Michigan experienced the highest level of unemployment reported by any state during the recession. The state’s manufacturing sector was badly damaged when two of Detroit’s leading employers, General Motors and Chrysler Corporation, went bankrupt last summer. 
Posted: March 8, 2010
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