Thursday, August 04, 2022

Estimated 98 million Americans skipped treatments, cut back on food, gas or utilities to pay for healthcare

 

https://www.eurekalert.org/news-releases/960657

 

 News Release 4-Aug-2022
New West Health-Gallup poll finds 38% of Americans making tradeoffs as inflation hits non-healthcare expenses
Reports and Proceedings
West Health Institute

 

WASHINGTON, D.C. — Aug. 4, 2022 — Higher healthcare prices drove 38% of American adults – representing an estimated 98 million people – to either delay or skip treatment, cut back on driving, utilities, and food, or borrow money to pay medical bills in the last six months, according to a new survey conducted by West Health and Gallup. The survey was conducted in June 2022, the same month inflation reached 9.1%, a new 40-year high.

The percentage of people making these kinds of tradeoffs was higher in lower-income households, but higher earners were not immune. While more than half of households earning less than $48,000 a year made spending cuts, nearly 20% of households earning more than $180,000 a year were forced to cut back too. Women under the age of 50 also cut back on medical care and medicine at higher rates than their male counterparts (36% to 27%, respectively) and much higher than men generally (22%).

“People have been making tradeoffs to pay for healthcare for years. Inflation has only made things worse

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