Do High Gas Prices Lead to Less Health Care for Kids?
Health Minute Press release Online video Podcast Report Highlights • 6% of parents report that they have postponed a medical visit or medications for their children because of high gas prices in 2007. • Nearly two-thirds of US parents would apply to a program that would provide “gas cards” to help get to their children’s health care visits. • Adults think that gas/oil companies and the government should fund a “gas card” program. The average price of gas in the US is higher than ever before — $2.74 per gallon so far in 2007, compared with $2.57 in 2006 and $2.27 in 2005. Gas prices as a national average first reached $3.00 per gallon for a single week in 2005. Since then, Americans have had to pay more than $3.00 per gallon for 4 weeks in 2006, and for 8 weeks already in 2007. That all adds up to a lot of pain in the pocketbook, trying to make ends meet. A concern of health care providers is that higher gas prices may discourage people from getting the medical care and medications they
