More patients in New Jersey are cutting back on health services as the economy worsens, according to a report in The Record of Bergen County.
The newspaper says the changes are being felt in fewer admissions to hospitals statewide and fewer emergency room visits.
Patients who have lost their jobs or seen their health insurance co-pays increase are also skimping on health care procedures in many ways. Doctors are reporting people are forgoing flu shots, negotiating doctor's bills, cutting back on surgical procedures or using free phone consultations instead of office visits.
The paper also reports that the current credit crunch is even affecting the financing of plastic surgery procedures.
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