One in four Americans say either they or someone in their family has skipped necessary medical care because of the cost. A recent survey by Bankrate.com also found more than half worry about not being able to afford health insurance.
Robin Saks Frankel, an analyst for Bankrate.com, says older millennials who carry the most student loan debt are most likely to skip costly medical care.
“Someone may choose either not to pay for insurance and just kind of roll the dice and hope they don't get fined, or they might just not go to the doctor because the crushing weight of debt supercedes any other expenditures, or younger people in general tend to have less health issues,” she says.
However, Frankel says the poll was consistent across the board.
“Incuded in our survey were those who had insurance through their employers, those who purchased insurance on their own, likely through an exchange plan, even those who are covered by Medicare and Medicaid, as well as people without insurance,” she says.
More than half of Americans also worry about the future of health care in the country.
“We actually found when we did a similar survey back in August of 2013, about half of those surveyed also said then that they were concerned about changes to health care, and that was two months before the Affordable Care Act,” says Frankel.
Frankel suggests putting money aside for medical emergencies, and try to maintain continuous coverage to avoid unexpected medical costs.