Table 2 Negative effects of costs on MS patients and their families
From: The catastrophic out-of-pocket health expenditure of multiple sclerosis patients in Iran
Variable | Frequency | Percent | |
|---|---|---|---|
Catastrophic health expenditure | Yes | 162 | 54 |
No | 138 | 46 | |
Poverty resulted from the costs | Yes | 132 | 44 |
No | 168 | 56 | |
Postpone the treatment or refuse it due to high costs | Yes | 219 | 73 |
No | 81 | 27 | |
Using low quality care since quality care is expensive | Yes | 254 | 84.3 |
No | 47 | 15.7 | |
Postpone or refuse to use health care due to far distance between the patient’s living place and care providing centers | Yes | 171 | 57 |
No | 129 | 43 | |
Patients had to move their living place to have access to care center | Yes | 52 | 17.3 |
No | 248 | 82.7 | |
Patients had to borrow money from their relatives to pay for their care | Yes | 228 | 76 |
No | 72 | 24 | |
The source of the money used to pay for care costs | First-degree relatives | 109 | 49.8 |
Third-degree relatives and acquaintances | 97 | 44.3 | |
Supportive organizations and charity | 13 | 5.9 | |
The financial burden on the patient and his/her family due to high costs of care | Very low | 24 | 8 |
Somewhat | 45 | 15 | |
High | 57 | 19 | |
Very high | 174 | 58 |