Nearly Half Report Problems With Health Plan

OB/GYN News, Oct 1, 2001 by Jennifer Silverman

Many people are still having problems with their health plans, and patient's rights legislation is as popular as it's ever been, according to a survey released by the Kaiser Family Foundation and Harvard University School of Public Health.

Although 62% of privately insured American adults under age 65 give their health plans a grade of A or B, 48% report having some type of problem with their health plan in the last year. Delays or denials of coverage and billing and payment problems were the most common hassles, reported by the 721 privately insured respondents aged 18 to 64 years.

While 81% percent favor comprehensive patient's rights legislation, an equal 80% admit they know little about the bill's right to sue provisions, according to the report.