Cost is the biggest reason cited for why 20% of Americans are postponing medical care, and the number of people delaying care has increased almost 5% from 2006 when the same question was asked. Thomas Reuters, who conducted the survey, state that there is a positive correlation between the deferral of healthcare and Americans losing access to employer-sponsored health care insurance.

The same survey, which included 12,000 people, found that 21% of the Americans interviewed expected to have trouble paying for healthcare services or insurance in the next few months. In addition, the survey also found:

1. 24% cited cost as the biggest reason people cancelled or postponed care

2. 54% of people said they missed care skipped a doctor visit

3. 8% of people stated that they skipped or delayed medical imaging or tests

4. 54.6% of households have employer-sponsored insurance, a decline of 4.4% since early 2008

5. 14.5% of adults are covered by Medicaid, and increase of 2.6% since 2008

The trend in people deferring healthcare has obvious implications. When people delay healthcare, conditions are discovered at a later stage, which may lead to more serious illness or even death. At the very least, when illnesses are ignored, medical costs of treatment increase due to increased severity of illness at presentation. Another problem is that preventative medicine cannot be practiced if people cannot afford to visit the doctor unless they are very ill. The conclusion of the leader of the Thomson Reuters study is that a continuation of the trend in deferring healthcare will ultimately impact America’s collective well-being.

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