Medicare recipients are putting off care more than other insured adults as costs rise
Published in Slideshow World
Americans are forking out more money than ever for their health care. For a significant number of the most vulnerable seniors and Americans with disabilities across the country, those high costs are causing them to postpone care.
QMedic analyzed data from the Commonwealth Fund's 2023 Health Care Affordability Survey to illustrate how many Americans are putting off health care due to cost. The annual survey is based on responses from nearly 8,000 American adults representative of the U.S. population.
Americans are struggling to afford health care costs across the board, regardless of insurance type. Half of all working adults surveyed by the Commonwealth Fund reported that it was "very or somewhat difficult to afford their health care" costs, including those with employer-sponsored health insurance.
But for Medicare recipients, who are typically older, have more health conditions, and often live on fixed incomes, the challenge is even more acute.
Medicare provided health insurance to more than 66 million Americans who live with disabilities or are ages 65 and over this year, according to the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services. These Americans are spending roughly 53% more for their health care than they were a decade ago, according to KFF. In 2022, households utilizing Medicare spent an average of $7,000 annually on health care costs, up from $4,600 in 2013.
Like with other goods and services, the record inflation seen from 2020 to 2022 impacted health care costs. The COVID-19 pandemic also had an influence on the rising cost of care, stretching hospital resources thin and introducing more long-term illness into the population for those living with long COVID.
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