STORY HIGHLIGHTS
- A third of U.S. adults say their family couldn’t afford care in past year
- One in four say care was deferred for a serious medical condition
- Lower-income adults and Democrats most likely to report delayed care
WASHINGTON, D.C. — A record 25% of Americans say they or a family member put off treatment for a serious medical condition in the past year because of the cost, up from 19% a year ago and the highest in Gallup’s trend. Another 8% said they or a family member put off treatment for a less serious condition, bringing the total percentage of households delaying care due to costs to 33%, tying the high from 2014.
Gallup first asked this question in 1991, at which time 22% reported that they or a family member delayed care for any kind of condition, including 11% for a serious condition. The figures were similar in the next update in […]
My wife’s Medicare costs have risen to $over $144 per month and we would be better off without Medicare; our costs would be less.
I pay considerably more than that and have a supplemental policy as well, so does my wife. And if you think it is cheaper you have not had a significant medical event. You can incur costs in an afternoon that would be a multiple of a decade of healthcare insurance premiums.
I know what you mean Stephan, but I handled my wife’s stroke right here at home last April, and any heart problems could be handled without going to the hospitals. It is the hospitals which have to change. We are a different kind of family. We do not use emergency rooms or hospitals. Those are the crutch that breaks people’s pocket books and are the main cost of the illness-profit system. Very intelligent people find ways to avoid those money grabbers. We have had significant medical events and survived without spending $144 per month.