Study: A Third of Americans Skipped Healthcare, Too Expensive

The results of a new survey found that a third of American adults skipped healthcare-related actions because of high costs.

The Commonwealth Fund survey spoke to adults in 11 countries: the United States, Australia, Canada, France, Germany, the Netherlands, New Zealand, Norway, Sweden, Switzerland, and the United Kingdom. The results show people living in the U.S. are more likely to forgo things like visits to the doctor when they are sick and filling prescriptions.

Forty-three percent of low-income U.S. adults said they cannot afford healthcare despite the existence of the 2010 Affordable Care Act, which was designed, in part, to provide people with low incomes healthcare for a fraction of the normal cost through subsidies.

"The United States trailed other countries in making health care affordable and ranked poorly on providing timely access to medical care (except specialist care)," the report's abstract reads.

"Overall, the Netherlands performed at the top of the eleven-country range on most measures of access, engagement, and coordination."

Obamacare rates are skyrocketing in 2017, with the average increase coming in at roughly 25 percent. President-elect Donald Trump hit that point hard during the campaign, which some argued helped him win the election. 

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