How many people can't afford medical care?
Asked by: Julio Rath | Last update: July 21, 2025Score: 4.5/5 (26 votes)
What percent of people can't afford healthcare?
Fifty-one percent of working-age Americans struggle to afford their health care and about one of three (32%) are saddled with medical debt, according to findings from a Commonwealth Fund survey released today.
How many people can't afford medicine?
Forty-five percent of American adults report struggling to cover their medical bills and are either Cost Insecure or Cost Desperate. Younger adults are more than three times as likely to be Cost Desperate than those 65 and older (10% vs. 3%).
What percent of Americans can't pay medical bills?
This brief analyzes data from the Survey of Income and Program Participation (SIPP) to understand how many people have medical debt and how much they owe. A recent Census Bureau analysis on medical debt at the household level found 15% of households owed medical debt in 2021.
How many people cannot afford to go to the doctor?
It does: In 2023, 46% of American adults without health insurance skipped some medical treatment because they couldn't afford it, compared with 25% of insured adults.
Healthcare Study Shows Who Can't Afford Healthcare
How many Americans can't afford a medical emergency?
37% of Americans can't afford an emergency expense over $400, according to Empower research. Greenwood Village, COLO – July 2, 2024 – Some 37% of Americans can't afford an unexpected expense over $400, and almost a quarter (21%) have no emergency savings at all, according to new Empower research.
What are the big 3 that the majority of most Americans' income goes to?
Americans spend the bulk of their money in three areas: housing, transportation, and food. Low-income Americans spend a significantly larger proportion of their money on housing. High-income Americans spend a much higher proportion on insurance and retirement expenses.
What happens if you can't afford medical treatment in America?
Hospital charity care may be available based on your income and savings. In fact, according to Fox, some hospitals are required by state law to provide free or reduced services to low-income patients. As soon as your bills arrive, let your providers know if medical problems have affected your income and ability to pay.
Is it OK to not pay medical bills?
Both California and federal laws protect consumers from surprise medical bills, which means debt collectors may not collect these debts. Free or Reduced Care: If you cannot afford to pay certain hospital or medical bills, depending on your income, you may be entitled to free or reduced care.
Is it better to have health insurance or pay out of pocket?
People without insurance pay, on average, twice as much for care. This means when you use a network provider you pay less for the same services than someone who doesn't have coverage – even before you meet your deductible.
Why is US healthcare so expensive?
There are many possible reasons for that increase in healthcare prices: The introduction of new, innovative healthcare technology can lead to better, more expensive procedures and products. The complexity of the U.S. healthcare system can lead to administrative waste in the insurance and provider payment systems.
How do patients deal with not being able to afford medications?
The website Healthcare.gov has detailed information about how to get healthcare coverage you can afford. Another option is to go through pharmaceutical companies or pharmacy chains, many of which offer access to free or low-cost medicines depending on your eligibility.
How many Americans can't access healthcare?
The Share of Americans Without Health Insurance in 2023 Remained Low. In 2023, 26 million people — or 8 percent of the population — were uninsured, according to a report in September 2024 from the Census Bureau.
What percentage of people can't afford medicine?
A poll from the Kaiser Family Foundation claims around 30% of adults report not taking their prescription meds because they're too pricey. One in five adults say they'd rather use over-the-counter drugs to avoid filling an expensive prescription, while some say they skip or take a smaller dose than they're prescribed.
Who pays for uninsured patients?
Hospitals do get help with the unpaid bills – from taxpayers. The majority of hospitals are non-profits and are exempt from federal, state and local taxes if they provide a community benefit, such as charitable care. Hospitals also receive federal funding to offset some of the costs of treating the poor.
What is the poverty rate for healthcare?
The official poverty rate fell 0.4 percentage points, to 11.1%, in 2023. The Supplemental Poverty Measure (SPM) rate in 2023 was 12.9%, an increase of 0.5 percentage points from 2022. Meanwhile, 92.0% of the U.S. population had health insurance coverage for all or part of 2023, not statistically different from 2022.
Can hospitals turn you away if you can't pay?
Because of EMTALA, you can't be denied a medical screening exam or treatment for an emergency medical condition based on: If you have health insurance or not. If you can pay for treatment.
Can I ignore medical bills under $500?
But the good news for patients is that debt collectors have lost their leverage with medical debts under $500. While they can contact you repeatedly seeking payment, if you don't mind blocking their calls, they may eventually give up or settle for a reduced payment.
How much is a hospital bill without insurance?
The average per-day hospital cost in the U.S. is $2,883, with California ($4,181) the most expensive, and Mississippi ($1,305) the least. The average hospital stay is 4.6 days, at an average cost of $13,262. If surgery is involved, hospital costs soar through the roof.
How many Americans can't afford to go to the hospital?
Overall, 16.9% of Americans report at least 1 financial barrier. Among those with private insurance, the poor (28.4%), near poor (24.3%), and those with functional impairments (22.9%) were more likely to report avoiding care due to cost.
Why can't the US have free healthcare?
In the United States, everyone selfidentifies as middle class. This leads to a very simple syllogism about why the United States has no universal health insurance: there is no self-identified working class—no labor party, no national health insurance. It is hard to disconfirm that syllogism.
What country has the best healthcare?
According to the 2024 Mirror, Mirror report, Australia, the Netherlands, and the United Kingdom have the best healthcare systems, though the differences in overall performance among most countries are relatively small.
What percent of Americans live paycheck to paycheck?
In a recent NerdWallet survey, 57% of Americans said they were living paycheck to paycheck. But are they, really? Among the paycheck-to-paycheck respondents in the survey, 31% said they contributed regularly to a savings account. More than one-fifth said they had an emergency savings account.
How do the poor spend their money?
“Think about expenses like transportation, healthcare, and child care — essentials for staying afloat and engaging in work. For [poor people], every dollar spent carries weight, often forcing tough choices between essentials and sacrifices.
How much does a family of 4 spend a month?
A single person household spends an average of $4,641 on monthly expenses. Married couples without kids spend an average of $7,390 on monthly expenses. A family of four spends an average of $8,450–9,817 on monthly expenses (depending on kids' ages).