One in five patients 'sacrificing' on food spend to afford healthcare

Researchers found that the patients were most likely to stop specialist care and hospital visits if their monthly budgets dropped by 25%, but they were least likely to cut medication spending. Picture: Tero Vesalainen / Alamy Stock

More than one in five patients with chronic illness make "difficult decisions", such as cutting their food spend, so they can afford vital healthcare, Irish research has found.

The survey of 962 people aged 40 and older also found 34.5% skipped health appointments and/or buying medicine during a year-long period because they could not afford it.

Almost half cut down on general expenses, 30% had to use their savings, and 22% reduced food spending, the researchers said.

The team at RCSI University of Medicine and Health Sciences worked with the University of Limerick and other agencies — including the ESRI.

Lead author James Larkin said this highlights “the difficult decisions people with chronic conditions are forced to make when facing financial strain”.

“Many people are sacrificing important aspects of care, which may have significant long-term health implications,” he warned.

Mr Larkin, senior postdoctoral fellow at RCSI Department of General Practice, said the survey was carried out in 2021 and 2022.

“Despite the measures introduced by the Government, financial issues remain a key factor in healthcare decisions — meaning that people facing economic hardship today are likely to make similar choices to those we spoke to,” he said.

Budget constraints

The researchers also asked what healthcare patients would drop if their monthly budget dropped by 25%.

The patients were most likely to stop specialist care and hospital visits, but they were least likely to cut medication spending. 

Mr Larkin called for further government policy interventions such as giving targeted financial support to reduce this problem.

Healthcare professionals should consider the financial constraints their patients may face and openly discuss healthcare costs and coverage options

This follows a warning last week from a leading oncologist that public patients are missing out on newly approved cancer drugs due to cost.

“We’re in this position now where I’m sitting and asking that question — and I hate it — ‘do you have private health insurance?" Gráinne O’ Kane said.

"What do I do? Do I tell the patient who doesn’t have private health insurance, who is low income, who has five kids at home, that there is a drug you could potentially access but it costs this amount?” 

The study How do People with Multimorbidity Prioritise Healthcare when Faced with Tighter Financial Constraints?can be read in the journal BMC Primary Care.