Health Care Coverage Linked to Delayed Medical Care for Veterans

More US veterans delay seeking needed health care than the general population, and the reason may be linked to health care coverage through the Veterans Administration (VA).

In a study using data from a nationally representative survey database of nearly 11,000 Americans, Doohee Lee, PhD (Marshall University), and Charles E Begley, PhD (University of Texas Health Science Center at Houston), assessed delays in seeking health care between 2010-2011 in the general population and among military veterans.

The researchers found that nearly 29% of veterans, compared with 17% of the general population, reported delaying seeking needed medical care.

Next, the investigators looked at the effect of different types of insurance coverage on delays in seeking health care. Compared with privately-insured people, those covered by VA insurance (only 1.72% of respondents) were 1.76 times more likely to delay needed medical care, after controlling for personal factors and region of the country.

For veterans, reported reasons for delays in seeking needed medical care included difficulties making appointments by phone and finding transportation to the doctor’s office.

The investigators conclude that these findings suggest “a possible link between VA access problems and veterans’ behavior in seeking needed health care, which may be creating disparities in the effectiveness of care for this vulnerable and deserving population.”

Reference

1. Lee D, Begley C. Delays in seeking health care: comparison of veterans and the general population [published online ahead of print April 23, 2016]. J Public Health Manag Pract. doi: 10.1097/PHH.0000000000000420.