Health care remains growing concern in poor economy

As the economy remains poor, the cost of health care remains a growing concern to consumers, according to Deloitte’s 2011 Survey of Health Care Consumers, which interviewed respondents in the United States, Belgium, Brazil, Canada, China, France, Germany, Luxembourg, Mexico, Portugal, Switzerland and the United Kingdom.

Among the U.S. respondents, 75 percent say the recent economic slowdown has affected their health care spending, with 41 percent saying they are spending more cautiously, 20 percent saying they have reduced spending, and 13 percent saying their spending has been cut considerably. Sixty-three percent report that their monthly health care spending restricts their ability to purchase other living needs, including housing, groceries, fuel and education.