United States – A survey conducted among crohn’s and colitis foundation America reveals that over 40% of people living with IBD are financially challenged when dealing with their conditions.
According to the patients themselves, 30% claimed to have missed their vacation or save for a big purchase, 22% claimed to have utilized more credits cards in order to pay for their treatment, and 21% said they had to buy cheaper clothes and food to be able to afford their treatments, as reported by HealthDay.
Disparities in Healthcare Still Exist Among Patients with IBD
Speaking at the meeting, Michael Osso, president and CEO of the Crohn’s & Colitis Foundation, highlighted the importance of changes on healthcare access for IBD patients. “Though we have advanced significantly in understanding and managing IBD, many patients do not have access to adequate medical care,” Osso added. He stressed that the survey clearly indicated the direction which has to be taken to eliminate health disparities and ensure that patients requiring such medications can obtain these without worrying about the cost.
High Costs; Medication Non-Adherence; Health Risks
The survey also showed that 63% of the participants rarely follow the prescribed IBD treatment, which is mainly due to the high costs. This has informed worst health consequences where a rather high 66% of patients have suffered adverse events as a result of their treatment. Other hindrances in insurance also posed to patients included insurance type, insurance cover, and insurance contribution towards health care with 56% of patients experiencing difficulties in accessing the right treatment. Shockingly, a quarter reported they had had to attempt and fail taking other medications prior to the right prescription, as reported by HealthDay.
High Cost of Biologics and Hospitalization Contributes to Financial Impact
IBD treatments especially biologics plays crucial role in disease management but these drugs are costly. Aside from hospitalization expenses, these costs can easily run to tens of thousands of dollars per event. MOS14 survey includes 2224 IBD patients and caregivers and reveals the burden of costs for these people.