Cost is preventing many Americans from immediately receiving medical treatment that is needed, according to a recent Gallup poll.
Thirty-three percent of Americans indicated that they or a family member had postponed medical treatment due to cost within the last year, according to the poll. That's up from 30 percent last year. It's also the highest number of people to answer "Yes" to that question since it was first asked by Gallup in 2001, according to the poll.
According to this year's poll, 57 percent uninsured people have put off medical treatment because of cost compared to 22 percent with Medicare/Medicaid and 34 percent with private insurance. Still, there was an increase (from 25 percent last year to 34 percent this year) in the percentage of people with private insurance who indicated they put off medical treatment because of cost, according to the poll.
Additionally, 35 percent of Americans with annual household incomes under $30,000 indicated they had delayed medical treatment within the last year, down eight percentage points from last year, according to the poll. The poll shows 28 percent of Americans with annual household incomes of $75,000 or more put off medical treatment within the last year compared to 17 percent last year.
More articles on finance:
5 most-read finance stories: Week of Nov. 24-28 5 most-read finance stories: Week of Nov. 24-28