More Americans Struggle to Pay for Health Care. NewsWire

NewsWire: 1/20/22

• In October of last year, nearly a third of Americans said they were not seeking treatment for a health problem due to cost. This share went up considerably just since June of last year. (West Health/Gallup)
• NH: In October 2021, 30% of Americans reported that they or someone in their household had had a health problem within the past three months for which they did not seek treatment due to the cost of care. This was more than double the 14% who said the same in June 2021, and triple the 10% who agreed in March.
• The share of people who are skipping care has risen sharply regardless of income level. Near the start of 2021, low-income households (under $48K) were the most likely to agree with this statement, but by the end of the year, middle-income households ($48K- $90K) reported even higher levels of care avoidance. Among the lowest-income households, the share agreeing jumped from 16% to 34% from March to September. Among middle-income households, it rose from 12% to 36%. Even among the highest-income Americans (>$180K), it climbed from 2% to 18%.

• The overall share of Americans who say they are unable to afford quality health care has also increased over the past year. 30% said this in Sept-October 2021, compared to just 18% six months earlier. And people don’t have much hope things will get better, with fully 90% saying they expect the cost of health care to increase over the next year.
• Why has the cost of care become so much more of a problem in just a few months? For one thing, insurer waivers for Covid-19-related care dwindled as the pandemic entered its second year. By August 2021, 72% of the two largest insurers in each state were no longer waiving costs for Covid-related treatment. At the same time, pandemic-related aid such as unemployment and stimulus checks were drying up.
• Use of health care services also increased last year, with 34% of Americans saying that they sought more health care in 2021 than they did in 2020. The increased use of health care—most likely driven by people seeking care that they put off or couldn’t get in 2020—could be driving up costs.
• The growing cost burden is coupled with deep sense of anxiety. Fully 59% of Americans say that they’re more worried now about the cost of health care services compared to pre-pandemic. And it’s the youngest adults (ages 18-29)—those who are least likely to need health care—who are the most likely to say their worries have grown (66%, compared to 49% of the 65+).