Survey: Many boomers fear healthcare loss

WASHINGTON, Dec. 23 (UPI) -- Fifteen percent of U.S. adults say they have cut back on medications or not filled a prescription because they could not afford it, a survey indicates.

An AARP survey released Tuesday says 21 percent of U.S. adults age 45 to 64 report being not confident that they can afford medical care in 2009.

"The boomers are at a high risk of being uninsured, and they're concerned about losing their job-based coverage or not keeping up with the high premiums of individual coverage," Cheryl Matheis, AARP senior vice president, says in a statement. "And they don't have the safety net that Medicare provides older people."

While those age 65 and older were less worried, the effects of the down economy are also evident, Matheis says. Seventy percent enrolled in the Medicare Part D prescription drug program said their current Part D premium for prescriptions was as much as they could afford.

However, the economic downturn may result in some Americans adopting habits to improve their health and lower healthcare costs. Eighty percent say they are having regular assessments of their prescriptions by their doctor, 67 percent are asking about generic versions when getting a new prescription and 62 percent are keeping a personal medication record. Nearly 60 percent of those age 55 to 64 report asking

their doctor about ways to reduce their medications -- such as increased physical activity and dietary changes.