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Consumer Concerns and Advice Recent UpdatesJune 18, 2008 June 13, 2008 June 11, 2008 May 27, 2008 May 20, 2008 Archives
May, 2008 Web ResourcesChalat Hatten & Koupal PC
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Posted by: Linda Chalat
But the kind of insurance - or lack of it - had a significant effect. Compared with patients who had private insurance coverage, those on Medicare were 14 percent more likely to have a burst appendix, people on Medicaid were 22 percent more likely, and those with no insurance at all were 18 percent more likely to have a rupture. The differences persisted even after controlling for age, sex, socioeconomic status, type of hospital and other factors. The finding on race was surprising because of data showing that minority patients use fewer health care services than others and are less often recommended for necessary medical procedures. Although the authors caution against generalizing their results to other geographic areas, they suggest that there may be a growing awareness in the medical community of racial inequalities in treatment, which has led to better care for minorities. Not surprisingly, it is thought that the main reason for lack of surgery for the under-insured or uninsured is "fear of financial repercussions." Not surprising, but certainly disconcerting. |
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The information you obtain at this site is not, nor is it intended to be, legal advice. You should consult an attorney for individual advice regarding your own situation. | |
Last month in The Journal of the American College of Surgeons, a group of scientists used New York state data from 2003 and 2004 which included 26,637 appendicitis patients, of whom 7,969 had a ruptured appendix. There were no significant differences in the likelihood of perforation among whites, African-Americans, Hispanics and Asians.