More Americans than ever putting off medical care due to cost: Gallup

The percentage of Americans who postponed medical care payments due to cost has grown in the past year, according to a new Gallup poll. 

The poll, published on Tuesday, found that 38 percent of respondents said they have put off scheduled medical care payments due to cost, a 12-point increase from the past two years.

The number also marks a new high with the previous high in 2014 and 2019, when 33 percent of those surveyed said that they have postponed scheduled medical care payments due to cost. 

Twenty-seven percent of respondents said that the delayed treatment in their family was for a condition that was considered to be “very” or “somewhat” serious, while 11 percent of those surveyed said the delayed treatment was for a condition considered to be “not very” or “not at all” serious. 

Among different economic categories, 34 percent of respondents in the lower-income group said that they postponed medical care treatment for a very or somewhat serious condition, while 29 percent of respondents in the middle-income group said the same thing. 

Eighteen percent of respondents in the upper-income group said that they postponed medical care treatment for a very or somewhat serious condition. 

Across age groups, 35 percent of respondents who are 18 to 49 years old said that they postponed medical care treatment for a very or somewhat serious condition, and 25 percent of respondents who are 50 to 65 years old also said the same. 

Thirteen percent of respondents who are 65 years old and older have said that they postponed medical care treatment for a very or somewhat serious condition, according to the poll. 

The poll comes as many Americans have cited inflation as one of the most important issues the country is facing in the last year, and a majority of U.S. adults noted that inflation has created a moderate hardship for them. 

Thirty-two percent of male respondents said that they postponed medical care treatment for a very or somewhat serious condition, while 20 percent of female respondents said the same thing. 

The latest Gallup poll was conducted from Nov. 9 to Dec. 2 with a total of 1,020 respondents participating in the survey. The poll’s margin of error was plus or minus 4 percentage points.