Even With Canada Drugs, Unemployed Have Poorer Health

Unemployed individuals with health insurance are less likely to get medical care or prescribed Canadian drugs compared to individuals with jobs who have such health insurance. 

"Insurance without a job is a difficult position to be in," said report author Anne Driscoll, a senior fellow at the CDC's National Center for Health Statistics. 

"If you had private insurance but weren't employed, you had worse mental health, worse physical health and were less likely to get prescriptions you needed or care that you needed than if you had a job," Driscoll said. 

"Because you don't have a job, deductibles and co-payments are the reasons you can't use your insurance to the fullest. You're better having insurance than no insurance, but it's not a panacea. A job and insurance is the most advantageous category to be in, not just being insured," Driscoll said. 

Dr. Steffie Woolhandler, a visiting professor of medicine at Harvard Medical School and co-founder of Physicians for a National Health Program, doesn't hold out hope that health care reform will make things better for the unemployed. 

"During the recession, the use of health care plummeted. We had a 19.5 percent drop in primary care in the United States," she said.  Thus, less Canada drugs were also consumed. 

"This study shows that even if people lost their jobs and held onto their insurance, they couldn't afford to use health care," Woolhandler said. 

"That's a uniquely American issue because we have such high co-payments, deductibles and uncovered services that people can't afford to use care," she said. 

Woolhandler noted that health care reform will help some people because the number of uninsured is expected to be cut by over half. 

"While there will still be 23 million uninsured after health reform is fully implemented, it's a whole lot less than it would be otherwise," she said. 

"But, having health insurance will not mean that you can afford care if you lose your job," Woolhandler added.  With the increasing prices of commodities, Canadian pharmacy has been trying their best to uphold their affordable prices to ensure patients are capable of maintaining their health. 

"It will be a little worse after health reform, because the new policies that will be offered will be quite a bit skimpier than an employer policy is now. And there will be high co-pays, high deductibles. So even if you hang on to your insurance you likely won't be able to afford care," she said.