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Patients Pinch Pennies by Skipping Care

Posted on July 23, 2008

Times are tough and some of Benjamin Brewer s patients are choosing to skip medical care to pay for things like $4-a-gallon gas, he writes in his Doctor s Office column. (AP Photo/Ben Margot)The irony in the situation is that the patients are choosing to put off preventive measures in an effort to save a few dollars, but the decision could end up costing them and their insurance companies a great deal of cash. One 59-year-old woman put off a mammogram this year and is also holding off on a colon cancer screening until she qualifies for Medicare. If she develops cancer of the co...

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cancer , pneumonia