Poll: Third Of Americans Skip Meals To Pay Health Care Costs

The cost of health care has steadily become one of the major issues impacting everyday U.S. citizens. A recent Gallup poll revealed that the problem is getting worse, with a third of Americans skipping meals, taking fewer trips, and putting off major life moves to pay for health care. 

According to the Washington Post, that means an estimated 82 million Americans have made some type of financial trade-off to afford medical care. “It is impacting people every day in their decisions,” Tim Lash, president of the West Health Policy Center, said. “It is getting worse.”

While the financial strain is largely seen in low-income individuals and those without insurance, the impact is still being felt among people receiving employer-based insurance and would be considered high earners.

From the Washington Post: 

Gallup polled nearly 20,000 American adults on cutting back on daily spending between June and August. Its poll on Americans postponing life events due to health care costs, which surveyed 5,660 U.S. adults, was done between October and December.

Other daily trade-offs respondents reported making to cover health care costs included cutting back on utilities and driving less to save gas money, according to Gallup. Just over half of Americans in households making less than $24,000 annually reported making a sacrifice to pay for medical care. Around a quarter of those making between $90,000 and $120,000 said the same.

According to The New York Times, about 14% of respondents postponed buying a new home, 18% put off switching careers, approximately 6% said they had delayed having or adopting a child, and 9 percent said they had postponed retirement.

“Seeing that health care is now impacting those decisions and the ability to kind of attain that American dream, I think, is really striking,” Ellyn Maese, research director of the West Health-Gallup Center on Healthcare in America, told the Washington Post.  

Unfortunately, we’re currently living under an administration that doesn’t see rising health care costs as particularly important. Last year, the longest government shutdown in U.S. history occurred because Republicans let pandemic-era subsidies for insurance under the Affordable Care Act expire. The shutdown ended without a deal to extend the subsidies. 

As a result, millions of Americans saw their monthly premiums double, with many opting for cheaper, less robust insurance or simply going uninsured due to the cost. Despite knowing that health care costs are becoming untenable, the GOP has not introduced meaningful legislation to address the issue. Most of their solutions boil down to pushing people into lower-cost plans with high out-of-pocket costs for treatment. Some of the plans wouldn’t even be attached to a medical network, meaning those on the plans would have to regularly seek out doctors who would accept their insurance. 

The ongoing Iran war is already having a pronounced, negative effect on the U.S. economy. While the war, as of now, doesn’t appear to be affecting the cost of health care, the increases in gas and food prices could lead more people to choose between eating and receiving medical care. 

SEE ALSO:

Why Black Paychecks Are About To Shrink As Health Care Costs Surge

Poll Finds 29% Of Americans Believe Health Care System Is In Crisis

Poll: A Third Of Americans Skipping Meals To Cover Health Care Costs was originally published on newsone.com