Nearly half of Americans can’t afford their health care

Time passes and health care costs rise, as do the number of Americans who can’t afford their health care, according to a new Gallup and West Health poll, reports Aimee Picchi for CBS News. Not surprisingly, people of color are struggling most to pay for their care, as are people in their 50’s and early 60’s, who are not yet eligible for Medicare. But, eight percent fewer people over 65 are able to afford their care now than just two years ago.

Only about 55 percent of Americans between the ages of 50 and 64 are “cost secure.” They can afford care and prescription drugs. But, that percentage is dwindling quickly. Two years ago, 61 percent reported being “cost secure.

Even with Medicare, just 71 percent of people are cost secure, down from 79 percent in 2022. Younger adults are the least cost secure. Fewer than half of them (47 percent) can afford their health care, down five percent from two years ago.

The new poll found that 45 percent of respondents reported skipping care or not filling their prescriptions because of the cost or an inability to get them.  Eight percent of those people said that if they needed care now, they would not be able to get it at an affordable cost. Gallup termed these people “cost desperate.”

Around one in three U.S. adults, more than 72 million people, said that they had not got care they needed in the past three months because of the cost. Of those 72 million, more than eight million are 65 or older.

Black and Hispanic Americans are increasingly cost desperate. About one in seven Hispanic adults and one in nine Black adults are cost desperate. Seven percent of White adults are cost desperate.

What’s causing this increase in the number of Americans who can’t afford their care? Inflation has driven up health care costs. And, doctors and hospitals can charge pretty much what they please, with little accountability. Moreover, insurers keep increasing their deductibles, the amount people must pay out of pocket before their insurance coverage kicks in.

In 2022, the typical insurance deductible for a family was $3,800. That deductible reflects more than a 50 percent increase ($1,300) from 2013.

Overwhelmingly, Americans believe that health care costs too much and they are not getting bang for their buck. But, they are not advocating for Medicare for all or even a government-regulated system that sets prices for health care services, which would bring their costs down.

People are eating less to pay for their prescription drugs. We don’t know how many are dying prematurely because they can’t afford their heart and other medicines, but it’s a good bet thousands are each year.

Today, the average annual cost of health care in the US per person is $12,555. In Germany, Italy and France, the average annual cost is around $6,651, almost half of what we spend.

Insurers are keeping people from getting the health care they need. They deny and delay care inappropriately. They refuse to pay for medically necessary services.

Here’s more from Just Care:

• The deadly consequences of out-of-pocket drug costs
• OIG finds widespread inappropriate care denials in Medicare Advantage
• Prior authorization: How dangerous is it?
• Why can’t people know their health care costs before receiving care?
• Older adults are extremely worried about affording health care