The hidden cost of healthcare: When affording care means putting life on hold

A recent West Health-Gallup survey found that one-third of American adults — about 82 million people — are making quiet daily compromises to be able to afford health care. One in ten skips meals or so drive less to save gaswhile one in five are putting off bigger ambitions, such as changing jobs.

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The numbers seem small, and the effects seem subtle at first. But when these commitments extend to major milestones in life, for example buying a home (14% have reported that it has been delayed), or expanding a family (6%), they take on a different weight. Health outcomes are traditionally not considered, and yet are increasingly shaped by health care costs.

For employers, who provide health coverage to half of all Americans, this shift is easy to miss, but costly to ignore. When health care becomes difficult to pay for, the cost of care does not disappear from the year-end balance sheet. These costs are resurrected elsewhere. Care is delayed, sometimes indefinitely, missing opportunities to deal with chronic conditions and allowing manageable conditions to develop into more serious and costly ones. serious effects in the patient’s health.

Read more: Rising health care costs are prompting employers to rethink their benefits strategies

At the same time, the tension of increasing costs appears at work: in distraction, absenteeism and less commitment. A recent survey found that health care costs rank as the top financial concern for adults and their families. This financial stress is difficult to leave at home, because these worries distract employees during the workday. About one-a third of the workers complain financial stress affects their productivity, and more than half of these workers say they spend three or more hours each week at work thinking about or dealing with issues related to their personal finances.

As a result of these pressures, the instinct of many employers has been to offer more: more programs, more point solutions, more extensive benefits. However, as investment in healthcare delivery solutions increases, so does the sense that the system remains difficult to use. Access, it seems, is not just a matter of coverage. It is also a matter of time and clarity.

Technically available but difficult to navigate surveillance may also be out of reach. When getting care requires coordination, time, and uncertain decisions, many people choose to wait…or forgo it altogether. The complexity of health care in America leaves many people unsure of how to use available resources, which makes navigating care difficult and time-consuming. Faced with duplicate options — like multiple telehealth applications offered as health benefits — many Americans are left confused about their options, unsure of how to best take advantage of their benefits, and overwhelmed trying to navigate the system. As a result, necessary preventive or ongoing care is often foregone because of the confusing and complicated system.

Read more: Organizations’ approach to chronic pain care needs to change

Changing this behavior requires more than lowering the financial barrier, although that is essential. It also requires reducing the cognitive and logistical burden. When care is easy, the path is clear, and the next step is obvious, people get involved sooner. Conditions are corrected earlier. The results improve, and ultimately the costs faced by employers begin to decrease.

The challenge, then, is not just to provide more care, but to make care available. In a system defined by complexity, organizations that create clarity will be the ones that change how care is delivered AND whether it is sought. People should have their own health care, and use it too.