Ten years after the passage of Obamacare, which then-President Barack Obama promised would reduce Americans’ health care costs by an average of $2,500 a year, health care costs are breaking new records and more American than ever can’t afford care.
The problem is getting worse, faster, for the poor and those with pre-existing conditions, the very problem Obamacare was supposed to solve.
“A record 25% of Americans say they or a family member put off treatment for a serious medical condition in the past year because of the cost, up from 19% a year ago and the highest in Gallup’s trend,” the polling firm reports.
“Another 8% said they or a family member put off treatment for a less serious condition, bringing the total percentage of households delaying care due to costs to 33%, tying the high from 2014,” Gallup reports.
Gallup’s data show in 2009 around 18 percent of Americans put off treatment for a serious condition due to cost. The now-record-25 percent figure is a 39% increase from where it was when Obamacare was passed.
In all, about 30 percent of Americans put off care for any condition due to cost, a figure that has now grown to a record-tying 33 percent.
Making matters worse, the figures are skyrocketing among poorer Americans and those with pre-existing conditions, the very problem Obamacare was supposed to fix.
“Reports of delaying care for a serious condition due to costs are also up 13 points compared with last year among Americans who report they or another household member has a ‘pre-existing condition,” Gallup reports.
“At the same time, there has been virtually no change in the percentage of adults without pre-existing conditions in the household who delayed care for a serious health issue in the past year, currently 12% versus 11% in 2018,” Gallup adds.
“Reports of delaying treatment for a serious condition jumped 13 percentage points in the past year to 36% among adults in households earning less than $40,000 per year while it was essentially flat (up a non statistically significant three points) among those in middle-income and higher-income households.” Gallup reports.
In 2009, 25% percent of those making less than $40,000 a year reported putting off care due to cost. That figure is now 36 percent after a decade of Obamacare.
Among those making $40,000 to $100,000, the figure grew from 15 percent to 25 percent.
AAN Staff
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