Nearly 98 million Americans skipped treatments, cut back on food, gas or utilities to pay for healthcare in early 2022

Medical Xpress August 4, 2022
West Health Institute

Higher healthcare prices have driven 38% of American adults—representing an estimated 98 million people—to either delay or skip treatment, cut back on driving, utilities, and food, or borrow money to pay medical bills in the last six months, according to a new survey conducted by West Health and Gallup. The survey was conducted in June 2022, the same month inflation reached 9.1%, a new 40-year high.

The percentage of people making these kinds of tradeoffs was higher in lower-income households, but higher earners were not immune. While more than half of households earning less than $48,000 a year made spending cuts, nearly 20% of households earning more than $180,000 a year were forced to cut back too. Women under the...

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