Report Reveals the High Cost of Arizonans Living Without Health

“I have a lot of friends who don’t have it (health insurance). I think they’re dealing with it like I am: Hoping we don’t get sick.”
Those are the words of Josh, 47, who suffers from hypertension and unemployment.
His story and many others are told in Truth and Consequences: Gambling, Shifting, and Hoping in Arizona Health Care, a new report by Morrison Institute for Public Policy, St. Luke’s Health Initiatives, and the L. William Seidman Research Institute at the W.P. Carey School of Business.
The report, released today, examines the true costs of so many Arizonans – almost one in five – living without health insurance.
“Health care is expensive, but the costs of poor health can be enormous,” said Arizona State University economist Kent Hill, who contributed to the report.
Treatment costs alone for chronic disease in Arizona are estimated to be $4.2 billion, or 2.3% of the gross state product. By 2023, projected costs for major chronic diseases are $99 billion, of which more than $25 billion could be avoidable.
But without health insurance, the personal stories of so many Arizonans will continue to paint a gloomy picture of lost dollars, lost potential, and lost opportunity:
· “At a public health clinic, you have to go wait in line. I try to avoid going because of cost.”
· “What if I got hurt? What’s going to happen to daughter?”
· “It’s very frustrating. Especially when you know you’re sick but you can’t get anything done about it.”
Truth and Consequences seeks to change that portrait by presenting recommendations to Arizona’s policymakers that could help the state fare better in the future so that Arizona can stop taking risks on residents’ health and health care.
Read the full report at http://morrisoninstitute.asu.edu