People With Inflammatory Bowel Disease Face Barriers to Health Care
By Lori Solomon HealthDay Reporter
MONDAY, Oct. 21, 2024 -- Patients with inflammatory bowel disease (IBD) continue to experience barriers to health care access and treatment and financial struggles, according to a study published online Oct. 8 in Inflammatory Bowel Diseases.
Ariel A. Jordan, M.D., from University of Michigan in Ann Arbor, and colleagues surveyed IBD patients and their caregivers (2,281 completed responses) regarding access to health care professionals, medications, and procedures; associated financial challenges; and patient awareness of education and advocacy tools to navigate IBD care barriers.
The researchers found that patients on advanced specialty medications, younger than 65 years of age, or on employer insurance experienced significantly greater issues with insurance barriers to accessing medications and coverage of medically necessary tests or treatments. Patients who live in areas of concentrated poverty were more likely to experience poor health outcomes as a result of step therapy versus patients who did not. Additionally, patients living in an area with concentrated poverty were more likely to experience one or more financial barriers or trade-offs if the patient used advanced specialty medicine.
"Ongoing awareness and advocacy efforts focused on health care system reform and related policies to further minimize care disparities and barriers remain vital," the authors write.
Several authors disclosed ties to the pharmaceutical industry.
Disclaimer: Statistical data in medical articles provide general trends and do not pertain to individuals. Individual factors can vary greatly. Always seek personalized medical advice for individual healthcare decisions.
© 2025 HealthDay. All rights reserved.
Posted October 2024
Read this next
Inflammatory Activity With IBD Tied to Impaired Sleep
WEDNESDAY, July 9, 2025 -- Impaired sleep is associated with inflammatory activity in inflammatory bowel disease (IBD), but not symptoms, according to a study published online...
Increase in Chronic Digestive Disorders Seen During Pandemic
WEDNESDAY, July 9, 2025 -- There was an increase in disorders of gut-brain interaction (DGBI) during the COVID-19 pandemic for those living in the United States, according to a...
Most TikTok Videos on Inflammatory Bowel Disease Are Low Quality
FRIDAY, June 13, 2025 -- The most-viewed inflammatory bowel disease (IBD) videos on TikTok provide low-quality medical information, according to a study published online in...
More news resources
- FDA Medwatch Drug Alerts
- Daily MedNews
- News for Health Professionals
- New Drug Approvals
- New Drug Applications
- Drug Shortages
- Clinical Trial Results
- Generic Drug Approvals
Subscribe to our newsletter
Whatever your topic of interest, subscribe to our newsletters to get the best of Drugs.com in your inbox.