Homeless Not Getting Health Care

N E W   Y O R K, Jan. 9 -- About half of America’s homelesssuffer from a major illness or health problem, and one in fourfail to get needed medical care, a study said today.

Homeless people suffer from physical and mental illness athigher rates than people in the mainstream, but one in threereported being unable to get drug prescriptions filled,according to the study published in this week’s Journal of theAmerican Medical Association.

Overall, nearly 25 percent of the homeless survey said theydid not receive necessary medical care, according to the study,which was done based on interviews at shelters, food pantriesand transitional housing programs as well as on U.S. CensusBureau data.

The homeless were more likely to go to hospital emergencyrooms for medical care and were four times more likely torequire a hospital stay — a reflection of the increased costof delaying treatment.

“What we know from this study and from others is that thehomeless people are really a very vulnerable part of ourpopulation who suffer terrible burdens of illness and earlydeaths,” said study author Margot Kushel of the University ofCalifornia, San Francisco.

Almost Half Surveyed Had Major Illness

Almost half of the homeless surveyed reported at least onemajor illness or health problem and almost three-quarterssuffered from either a mental health problem or abused alcoholor drugs.

An estimated 1 percent of Americans have an episode ofhomelessness during the course of a year, often brought aboutby poverty, mental illness, substance abuse, or other factors.

The majority of the homeless surveyed did not have medicalinsurance, though those who did had better access to care, thereport said. It noted that many homeless military veterans didnot take advantage of their insurance benefits.

“If you’re homeless and you don’t have a telephone, you maynot have a place to get mail, you may or may not be able toread, and you may be psychiatrically impaired, you may not beaware of what your benefits that are due to you from your pastservice in the military,” Kushel said.