Record 25% of seriously-ill Americans put off treatment in the last year over fears they couldn’t afford the medical bills, report reveals
- One in three households said they have avoided medical care to save money
- A survey of 1,000 people in the US found delaying help is increasingly common
- Patients may end up more ill and later need more expensive, emergency care
A record one in four seriously-ill Americans say they have put off getting medical help because they can’t afford it.
The US provides healthcare to people who buy private insurance, pay for treatments outright or qualify for government assistance.
While around 27.5million don’t have health insurance, even many who do delayed getting help out of fear of excess fees hitting their wallets.
A survey by analytics company, Gallup, found that a third of all households in the US have avoided getting medical help in 2019.
Delaying treatment is bad for people’s health, because they tend to get worse until they are seen, and also for hospitals and the economy because sick people will end up needing expensive emergency help and are less likely to be able to work.
Some 36 per cent of people in households with a combined income of less than $40,000 (£30,000) per year said they had avoided healthcare because of money worries (stock image)
In Gallup’s poll, 25 per cent of Americans said they put off treatment for a serious medical condition because they were concerned about how much it would cost.
This rose from 19 per cent just a year ago and is higher than the 22 per cent recorded when the survey was first done in 1991. This year 1,015 people were interviewed.
Another eight per cent said someone in their family had delayed treatment for a less serious condition.
A survey published earlier this year found that half of Americans had delayed a medical or dental procedure because they were so expensive.
The research – a poll by dental insurance company, DentalPlans.com – found it could take people more than two years to pay off a single $6,000 bill.
Even people with insurance end up out of pocket if they get medical help because they have to pay deductibles – known in the UK as an excess – before the insurance companies stump up.
And, according to the DentalPlans.com study, the average American spent $4,928 (£3,746) on healthcare in 2017.
Gallup’s research found people in low-income homes were more likely to go without medical help.
Some 36 per cent of people in households with a combined income of less than $40,000 (£30,000) per year said they had avoided healthcare.
This had shot up from just 23 per cent in 2018, while the figure only rose by three per cent in wealthier homes.
In its report Gallup said: ‘According to the American Hospital Association, patient visits to emergency departments in community hospitals increased 19 per cent between 2001 and 2016 and has likely climbed to over 20 per cent by today.
‘While that may reflect many factors, including the aging of the population and the number of Americans living in close proximity to hospitals, it may also be indicative of a greater need for emergency care due to lack of routine care.’
And it added: ‘From an economic perspective, delayed care can have a range of negative effects, including reduced workplace productivity in the short-term, and increased healthcare costs and in the long-term – costs that ultimately burden the federal budget which has ripple effects on the economy.’