As deductibles and premiums of health insurance in Corpus Christi continue to rise in price, more consumers are using urgent care centers to treat simple, common ailments.
Corpus Christi health insurance recipients are utilizing urgent care centers at a greater frequency to obtain needed healthcare. According to a recent report conducted the Urgent Care Association of America, this trend has dramatically increased not just in cities like Corpus Christi but also across the United States.
As millions of Americans receive health insurance coverage through the Affordable Care Act (ACA), some states like Texas only allow consumers to sign up for the ACA on private exchanges. Urgent care centers (UCCs) have filled the void and have become an attractive alternative. The Urgent Care Association of America analyzed data reflecting gross figures of privately billed healthcare claims as well as demographic information such as age, gender, diagnosis, procedures and costs. Claim figures have significantly jumped by over 200 percent in both urban and rural areas while the total number of urgent care centers has increased by over 5 percent nationwide from 2016 to 2017.
Health insurance in Corpus Christi has certainly been affected by these trends. UCCs typically offer convenient operating hours and allow residents to be treated in a timely manner. Also, these centers usually predominantly treat common respiratory ailments such as colds, bronchitis and sinus infections-conditions that do not require complex medical regimens. Rick Thornton, a Corpus Christi health insurance agent has witnessed these changes first-hand. “I’ve spoken with quite a few clients who have used urgent care centers while they work through the process of obtaining more comprehensive healthcare coverage. And if their insurance has high premiums and deductibles, the lower costs and convenience for simple treatment that urgent care centers are able to address makes sense,” he stated.
Data in the study reveal customers in the age group of 31-40 years-old have utilized UCCs the most often with 41-50 year-old patients representing the next age group with most urgent care center claims. Women are also visiting UCCs at nearly two times the rate of men.
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