Americans with chronic illnesses more likely to ignore their health study says

WASHINGTON A study released Thursday by the Commonwealth Fund indicates that Americans with chronic diseases are more likely to neglect their healthcare needs because of high costs.

They are also more likely to experience medication errors than people in other developed countries.

The study included 7,500 adults in the United States, Canada, Australia, New Zealand, the United Kingdom, France, Germany and the Netherlands. All of those questioned had chronic illnesses, including cardiovascular disease, lung disease, depression and cancer.

The survey found that patients in the Netherlands were least likely to have problems, while 54 percent of Americans said costs prevented them from receiving needed medical care. Forty-one percent of American respondents spent more than $1,000 out of their pockets on medical costs, while Americans were more likely to experience medication errors, get the wrong test results or experience delays in receiving results.