Pennsylvanians Struggling to Pay Healthcare Bills: Survey

Nearly half of Pennsylvanians have experienced healthcare affordability issues in the past year and one-third of those who participated in a survey have struggled to pay healthcare bills, according to a report from the Altarum Institute.

Getting past the present and looking ahead to the future, four-fifths of those who were surveyed are worried about being able to pay for healthcare-related expenses down the line.

About 40% of those who were surveyed have skipped some form of medical care in the past year, such as delaying going to the doctor or not getting a recommended test taken, and cost was the most frequent reason why they did not get medical care.

Fifteen percent of individuals have been contacted by a collection agency about an unpaid healthcare debt, while 12% have used up all of their savings, 10% are unable to pay for basic necessities like food, heat, or housing, and 8% have amassed a large credit card debt because of healthcare-related expenses.

Only 25% of those surveyed think the United States has a “great” healthcare system, while 78% think that the healthcare system in the U.S. needs to change. The most popular answers when asked what the “major reason” was for high healthcare costs were:

• 76% said drug companies charging too much money
• 72% said insurance companies charging too much money
• 70% said hospitals charging too much money
• 57% said some well-known or large hospitals or doctor groups using their influence to get higher payments from insurance companies