38% Of Us Adults in 2022 Delayed Health Care Due to Cost

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When we are young, we are told to go to the doctor if we're sick, but doing so can be more challenging in some nations. According to a Gallup survey, a record number of Americans said they delayed getting medical care in 2022 because it was so extravagant. Every year since 2021, Gallup has examined the percentage of Americans who report delaying medical remedies and why - as part of its Health and Healthcare poll.

In 2022, 38% of participants – an increase of 12% from 2021 - admitted to delaying or skipping medical care. 27% of the participants reported delaying remedy for a serious condition and 11% for non-serious treatment.  This represents both the largest one-year increase and the highest overall percentage since the survey began. With 29% of Americans admitting that they've delayed getting medical care because of the cost between 2001 and 2021, it is also higher than the 20-year average. In 2022, US inflation rates reached their greatest level in more than 40 years. Additionally, according to Gallup, the majority of US adults claim that inflation has negatively impacted their lives.

The survey found that younger persons with lower incomes were more likely to report delaying medical care. According to Gallup, this might be because Medicare insurance for people over 65 allows them to less expensive medical care. For years, both domestically and globally, there has been discussion about the high cost of healthcare in the US. According to a different Gallup survey published in 2023, 57% of US individuals believe that it is the obligation of the government to ensure that all citizens have access to healthcare.