US chronically ill patients often skip medical care due to high costs or medical errors compared to people in other countries, a study conducted by the Commonwealth Fund found. The study was published online Nov. 13 in the organization’s journal Health Affairs.

It involved about 7,500 people from Australia, Canada, France, Germany, Great Britain, the Netherlands, New Zealand and the United States who had at least one chronic condition.

The study found that “overall, the United States stands out for chronically ill adults reporting the most negative experiences. They are far more likely to go without care because of cost, including not filling prescriptions, [or] following up on recommended care,” Cathy Schoen, the Commonwealth Fund's senior vice president, said. On contrary, patients from Germany had the fewest complaints, while only 7 percent of patients in the Netherlands complained about these aspects.

Also, US patients were more likely to report poorly coordinated care that puts them at risk and wastes their time and prescription and diagnostic test errors, she added.

Furthermore, 41 percent of American respondents said they spent over $1,000 on out-of-pocket medical costs in 2007, in contrast with rates of 4 percent in Britain and 5 percent in France, the study found.

“For Americans with serious chronic illness, access to medical care is quite bad, both absolutely and in comparison to other developed nations,” Dr. Steffie Woolhandler, an associate professor of medicine at Harvard Medical School and co-founder of Physicians for a National Health Program said.