Katharina Buczek
According to John Scott, M.D., the study’s first author and an assistant professor of surgery, these findings indicate that health insurance plans are in dire need of restructuring in order to reduce or cap the cost-sharing for necessary trauma care.
“Our findings show that the negative impact of traumatic injuries on patients’ lives does not end when they leave the hospital. Instead, they have bills that they cannot pay,” Scott began.
“Eliminating or capping deductibles for traumatic injuries– just like the recent policies capping the cost of insulin for Medicare patients– could go a long way to ensure that all patients can achieve an optimal recovery after injury.”
Scott also noted how there is even emerging evidence suggesting that the weight of medical debt may impede patients’ ability to achieve optimal physical recovery from trauma.
“No one is overconsuming trauma care just because their deductible is low. If we fail to acknowledge the reality of the economic challenges our patients really face, then we risk curing patients into destitution.”
To read the study’s complete findings, which have since been published in JAMA Health Forum, visit the link here.
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