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CDC report: 40 million Americans can't afford healthcare

Patient Financial Services Weekly Advisor, December 14, 2007

Health insurance is so costly these days, about 40 million Americans can't afford it. The CDC in its annual report released Monday says those Americans did not receive the health services they needed because of cost, Reuters reports.

Other numbers the report found:

-- 30% of young adults between the ages of 18 and 24 do not have a usual source of medical care; 

-- 30% lack health insurance; 

-- 10% of adults between the ages of 45 and 64 do not have a usual source of medical care.

There were encouraging numbers, such as the 87% of children between 19 and 35 months old who received immunization shots for bacterial meningitis, an increase of 46% from 2002.

Also in the report: 

-- 36% of total personal health care expenditures in 2005 was paid by private insurance plans; 

-- 34% by the federal government; 

-- 11% by state and local governments; 

-- 15% by patients.

"There has been important progress made in many areas of health, such as increased life expectancy, and decreases in deaths from leading killers such as heart disease and cancer," said CDC Director Julie Gerberding in a statement. "But this report shows that access to healthcare is still an issue where we need improvement."

To read the full story in Medical News Today, click here.

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