Gallup Survey Finds Americans Borrowed $88 Billion to Pay for Health Costs, and 1 in 4 Skipped Treatment

A new Gallup survey of 3,537 adults found Americans borrowed about $88 billion to pay for healthcare last year, and one in four skipped care due to costs, reports USA Today . Lower-income adults were more likely to waive care or fear bankruptcy over spiraling medical costs, but richer households also skipped care over financial concerns. "Lower-income brackets had the most fear," says West Health's Tim Lash. However, he adds "that fear persisted even for those we would associate with the middle class and upper middle class. It's not just those living at or slightly above poverty that are concerned. It's even the more affluent among us." Gallup researcher Dan Witters says about one in eight respondents said they borrowed to pay healthcare costs for themselves or a family member, and 2.7 million Americans borrowed at least $10,000, while another 1.6 million borrowed more than $5,000. Gallup determined people often do not know what they will pay for care at a hospital or for an outpatient surgery, with about one in three respondents saying doctors discussed cost before ordering a recommended drug or procedure. Moreover, respondents who identified as Republican were more likely than Democrats to highly rate U.S. healthcare quality, yet 66 percent of respondents in both parties were "not at all confident" that Congress could agree on a bipartisan solution to reducing health costs.