Some 92 percent have delayed or abandoned medical care because of costs, according to a survey of 1,507 U.S.adults by financial services firm JG Wentworth.

High prices at the doctor’s office, urgent care, emergency room and more have led to 85 percent of Americans having medical debt. Collectively, American consumers have $220 billion in medical debt, according to a February poll from KFF - that’s around $958.61 per adult with medical debt.

Nearly one in five adults said their health got worse because they skipped a doctor’s visit. That problem is more acute for those 64 and younger - 42 percent say their health got worse after putting off a medical visit.

  • laranis@lemmy.zip
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    11 hours ago

    “Shocking”

    Fuck you. Literally everyone in the US absolutely makes this decision for themselves and their families regularly. It isn’t “shocking”. It is the reality we’re all dealing with.

    What would be shocking is if anyone in charge gave a fuck about the people instead of their donors and moved to do something about it.

    • Tiral@lemmy.world
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      8 hours ago

      I donno. I spend $750,000 minimum a year and I’ve never seen a bill. I have stage 5 kidney failure and go to dialysis 3 days a week. I have United (private) Medicare and Medicaid. My United is $750/mo but I don’t have to pay it.

      I know it’s easy to shit on America and it’s the thing to do currently, but when you cherry pick the worst situations, sure it looks like shit. I could say the same in universal insurance countries. There are people there waiting 2-3 years for a MRI or are left in gurney in the halls for days before being looked at. Does that mean that’s the norm? No

      Just saying, if you want to be ignorant for your nerarive then that’s cool, do you no hate. But that doesn’t mean it’s true regardless of your opinion.

      • HubertManne@piefed.social
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        8 hours ago

        lol. your self example is the case of universal insurance in the us. medicare with medicaid. and the limited example where you don’t have to work 20 hours a week to get the medicaid. talk about cherry picking.

      • kestrel7_7@lemmy.world
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        6 hours ago

        I know it’s easy to shit on America and it’s the thing to do currently, but when you cherry pick the worst situations, sure it looks like shit.

        Americans, per capita, pay far more for healthcare than any other country, and have a much lower life expectancy than peer countries. By any metric we are getting a shitty deal, far worse than any other country. You cannot “both sides” this one. Privatized healthcare is an abject failure that should be abandoned as quickly as possible.

        This isn’t me shitting on America, this is me realistically describing what is currently going on in America.

      • ProfThadBach@lemmy.world
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        7 hours ago

        You literally do not see that you are benefiting from universal healthcare? Medicaid is paying that 750 a month and the rest is covered by Medicare. I go to the VA. Universal healthcare for veterans. When I turn 65 next year I will have 3 insurance plans. VA, Medicare, and my state plan that I pay 75 a month for. Two of those will be universal healthcare. How do you not see you are benefiting from a public health plan?

      • Triasha@lemmy.world
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        5 hours ago

        “I’m getting care so everyone else can suffer and die”

        People waiting years on lists and days on gurneys should complain about their countries system, and they do. You see it in every wealthy country.

        Your good experience is not an argument that the system is fine. Neither is mine.

        The fact remains that many, many people cannot, access care, or are financially ruined when they do.