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We have few prospective, longitudinal studies on how financial obstacles to healthcare relate to clinical outcomes. To enhance the evidence base, researchers prospectively studied 2498 adults hospitalized with acute MI from January 2003 through June 2004. All were enrolled in PREMIER, a 19-center U.S. MI registry.
During their hospital stays, patients were asked whether, in the past year, they had avoided obtaining healthcare services because of cost and how often during that period they had not taken prescribed medications because of cost. Of the cohort, 18% reported financial barriers to use of healthcare services, and 13% reported financial barriers to medication use.
Patients with financial barriers to use of healthcare services were, at …